Archive of Our Own

Jiro lazes around while staring at the flimsy package in his hands. It’s been about a week and a half since Jyushi has left, and summer has officially taken hold of Japan. The humidity and just all-around heat make it impossible to do much of anything without crawling for shade. While most summers Jiro would be fine with playing soccer in this insane heat, his mind is preoccupied with the package in his hand.

This was Jyushi’s present to him before he boarded the train to go back to Nagoya. With a gentle kiss to his cheek, Jyushi places this tiny package in his hands. “Don’t open this for another week or so. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

At first all he felt was confusion. Jyushi gave Ichiro and Saburo gifts that they could open up right away. Jyushi gave Ichiro a brand new pair of high quality headphones, and Saburo was given a decorative choker that he has worn quite a few times already.

But Jiro…. there’s a part of him that is jealous over the fact that his gift is the smallest one out of all of the ones given to their family.

But he’s still dying with curiosity. Just what is inside this?

Saburo comes out of his room, immediately feeling the summer heat due to Jiro’s lack of air conditioning. With an irritated groan, Saburo finds the button to their air conditioner and puts it on full blast. “You won’t know what’s inside it if you don’t open it up, Jiro. It’s already been over a week since he left. I’d say it’s about time for you to open that up.

Jiro leans his head back and sighs. He looks at the package amongst the multitude of chips in his manicure, one of the only traces of Jyushi’s stay at their house. The more Jiro thinks about it, the less it makes sense for Jyushi to give him a gift he wouldn’t like. So it’s gotta be good!

He leans forward and undoes the ribbon on his gift before letting it all unravel. And the more it unravels, the more Jiro’s eyes widen.

“T-These are tickets to one of Jyushi’s lives!”

“Are you sure that’s all to it?” Saburo says from their kitchen. Of course, he and Ichiro know what that gift is. Jyushi asked them to keep it a secret after he asked for permission to do this.

“Aah? What are you saying, Saburo?” Jiro asks before he moves the tickets and sees something else underneath them.

A note, and a small lightning bolt pendant on a thin silver chain. 

Jiro undoes the adhesive holding the note together and reads the note.

To my precious Jiro,

I’m sorry I had asked you to open this later than your brothers. But I didn’t want you to leave Ikebukuro so soon, so I selfishly requested you to not open this up for some time.

I’m not sure if I can articulate my excitement in words, but I will do my best for Jiro.

All of us at Argo Kishii Gakudan are aware of Jiro’s ability to play the guitar. I’m glad I was able to hear it at least once to be sure of this. After some discussion, we all agreed to bring you on stage as one of our guest guitar players. By the time you read this, it will probably be in the beginning of August. I already asked Ichiro-san for permission to keep you for a week and a half before the live on the day listed on the ticket. These tickets for the live are for Ichiro-san and Saburo-kun to come and watch, if they are able.

I’m looking forward to Jiro’s call. 

PS: This pendant is part of a set. I have the other half with me. No matter how far away we are from each other, we’re always together in heart.

With all my love,

Aimono Jyushi.

Jiro reads the note at least five times over before scrambling for his phone and calling Jyushi.

The moment the dial tone stops Jiro is practically screaming at his boyfriend. Not because he was mad of course, but it was more along the lines of utter disbelief. “Jyushi! H-How can you think my half-ass guitar skills are good enough to perform on such a stage as Argo Kishii Gakudan’s live?!”

After a moment, Jyushi chuckles. “That’s why you’re staying with us for a week and a half, Jiro. We all have heard you play and your skills are genuine. If you spend a few days learning the music and practicing with us, you’ll be more than prepared for when the live comes.”

Jiro scratches his head and slumps against the couch. “How did you guys even hear me play? Is there some video of me playing online or something?”

Jyushi hums in affirmation. “There’s this one of you playing at a park. Alongside other people that attend your school, based on the school uniforms.”

Jiro groans. “That damn school band huh? We all were forced to perform because people found out that we had some sort of skill… and it was to advertise the school’s festival…… talk about bad memories….”

“It was thanks to that though, that I got to understand Jiro’s skills are more than what he showed me. Why you didn’t show me everything though… I’m not quite sure myself.” Jiro sighs. “It's because you’re part of this hella good band, Jyushi. And I know you can play the part of a guitar/vocalist with ease, even though most of the time you just handle the vocals. I just didn’t want you to think bad of me, I guess.”

“Why would I ever do that, Jiro? It might be a possibility that our level in skill is different, but there is no way I would think badly of you because our level in skill is different. I can tell by your calluses just how much you practice. And by the way you take great care of your guitar I can tell that you love it. When someone pours that much love into something, there’s no way it isn’t for nothing.”

If Jiro closes his eyes, he can imagine Jyushi is right in front of him, and he’s being pulled into a hug. “So, is Jiro angry about this decision?”

Jiro can envision the sad furrowing of Jyushi’s eyebrows. “I’m not angry, just shocked. To think you would invite me to play in one of your lives….” 

“This is something all of us decided on… And… well…”

“?” Jiro can almost imagine Jyushi pushing his index fingers together in a nervous embarrassment. “I-I-I want everyone to know who my muse is. Who it is that helps me write my music, and who makes me feel the happiest in the entire world, next to Amanda. I want everyone to know… Just how much Jiro has impacted my life. That nothing would be the same if Jiro never came into my life. I’d probably still feel like my same old weak and insecure self, only trusting people from a short distance because of fear. But everything has widened thanks to Jiro. So much has changed because of Jiro, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why I was hoping you’d accept this offer, even if it seems a bit… absurd.”

To be honest, Jiro doesn’t know if he could even stand on the same stage as all of those great musicians. But pushing his worry about his skill aside, every other thing Jyushi said resonated with a couple conversations they’ve had in their time together. It became another case of “being stupid for each other,” and that’s something Jiro can get. While he may not know how people will react when Jyushi reveals him as a muse, or a boyfriend, significant other, however it will be named, he does know that he’d love the chance to be in that world Jyushi lives in… even if just a little bit.

With a fond smile, Jiro lets his fingers roam over the pendant. “If you think I’ll be okay with your group, then I can’t see why not. Don’t go yelling at me if I mess up big time though.”

Jyushi laughs, and the heartwarming sound is music to Jiro’s ears. “I think you’ll be okay. So, when can you head out? There’s still a couple more days from the promised day…”

Jiro looks at the clock and then after a long moment, nods. “I’ll see if I can head over there tomorrow. I’ve gotta tell Takahashi and the others where I’ll be.”

“Oh! Maybe you could invite them to the concert too! I think I may have left enough tickets…”

Jiro laughs. “You don’t have to worry about that, Jyushi. You’ve already done more than enough for all of us.”

A long moment of silence hangs over them. “... I’m looking forward to your arrival, Jiro. I can’t wait to show you the Nagoya I love.”

Jiro can’t help but smile at that. “I am too Jyushi… I am too.”

Ichiro leans against the doorframe as he watches Jiro throwing clothes left and right. Most of the clothes did not make the luggage, as expected. But the fervent effort Jiro was putting into packing at least one night before his trip was praise worthy. With a gentle knock, he pulls Jiro from his own little world. “How’s the packing going?”

Jiro jumps and turns around. “Nii-chan!”

Ichiro holds up a shopping bag. “I went and picked up some stuff you might need.”

Jiro goes through all the items in the bag, ranging from shampoo and toothpaste to… condoms?

“N-Nii-chan….?? What’s this… why is there a box of condoms here???!!!” Jiro’s face erupts into the brightest blush ever. 

Ichiro puts an arm around Jiro’s shoulders. “Was I wrong to think there’s something in the air between you two?” Jiro’s gradually reddening face tells Ichiro all he needs to know. It was almost endearing how Jiro looked like a bright tomato right now.

“I-It’s… there. It’s just something that we refuse to talk about…? A-A-Are we that obvious though?”

Ichiro laughs at the way Jiro reacts. “Only to those who have experienced love like yours maybe. Right now Saburo just thinks you’re just doing stupid things.”

With that said, he gives a gentle pat to Jiro’s back. “A lot can happen in 10 days, Jiro. Just go prepared.” Ichiro just laughs at Jiro’s reaction, something that was along the lines of wanting to hide underneath a rock forever, and closes the door behind him as he leaves. He leans against the door with a sigh, seeping memories of his love manifesting themselves once more.

Shared cola bottles, intertwined hands, flaming red hair…

Ichiro puts his hand over his eyes and sighs heavily. “Kuko…”

Jyushi sits outside with Kuko and Hitoya as they all enjoy dango, tea, and the sunset.

“Oh, so you’re actually gonna introduce us to your boyfriend?” Kuko grins and he slaps Jyushi on the back a few times. The force is enough for Jyushi to put his dango back on his plate to prevent a choking situation. “Y-Yes Kuko-san. We’ll be busy for most of his visit because of the live, but after, I want you two to meet my boyfriend. Hopefully, his family will come over as well… so you can meet all of them.”

“Ikebukuro, huh?” Kuko lets the smile fall a little. “It sure has been awhile since I’ve been there…” Hitoya sighs. “I don’t know if I can make it, you know.” Looking at Jyushi at that moment was the worst thing to do though, because he knew that look Jyushi had.

The “seconds away from crying” face was just a dangerous expression for Hitoya, because he always felt awkward after seeing Jyushi burst into tears. Like, he knew it was his fault for making Jyushi cry, but he doesn’t know what exactly would make him stop crying. This complicated back and forth is exactly one of the many reasons why Hitoya doesn’t like kids, but there he is...

“It’s gonna happen during the weekend, right? I should be free then, unless something comes up…” Hitoya has to breathe a sigh of relief when Jyushi smiles and the “seconds away from crying” expression is no longer there. “Thank you, Hitoya-san!”

Hitoya takes his tea with a faint smirk. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. If anything, thank that boyfriend of yours for changing you so much.”

“Oh, you’ve noticed it too, huh?” Kuko points his empty skewer from Hitoya to Jyushi. “Jyushi’s been doin’ something different these days. You’re cryin’ less too, ya know! Just what has this guy done to change you like this?”

Jyushi stares at the dango that’s on his plate and envisions the Yamadas and their comforting home… Jiro’s smiles… A faint smile graces his lips at the comforting memories he has of all of it. “He just… loved me. He just accepted me for everything I am. His open-mindedness was the one thing I’ve desired for so long, and while I do have that with Kuko-san and Hitoya-san, I knew that what I wanted was more than friendship. Sometimes, Amanda has told me that I’ve been injured to the point of almost rejecting romance. Sometimes, I almost believed that I didn’t want romance if it meant experiencing pain. I guess… just giving myself that little chance with my boyfriend when I felt the opportunity arise just changed me. Isn’t it funny?”

Kuko shakes his head. “Romance… just does crazy shit to people.”

Jyushi can hear the distant cries of someone who once experienced romance… but that romance didn’t last. “Believe it or not… I had one of those. Crazy-ass teenage romance or whatever ya wanna call it. The best feeling in the world while it lasted. But how it ended…” Kuko winces, and the sight of their leader in pain causes Jyushi and Hitoya to worry.

“Kuko-san?”

Kuko sighs. “It always happens when I think about that guy. Don’t worry about it.”

Hitoya raises an eyebrow. “There’s more you aren’t telling us.”

The cover of darkness hangs in the air above them and Kuko, as much as he’d rather not talk about this, has a feeling that he won’t get away from this conversation unless he tells them the entire story.

As gently as he can, Kuko treads down memory lane, enjoying the warmth of those beginning memories. But he stops short when they arrive at the dreaded break-up. 

“This doesn’t seem.. normal. Kuko-san… do you remember what happened when you decided to break up with him?” Jyushi continues to share worried looks with Hitoya, who opts to listen to everything Kuko has to say. 

Kuko runs his black manicured nails through his red hair and tries to remember… but it’s all blank. Or more specifically, covered in this annoying white static that makes his head hurt.

“It’s… all static. I know I had decided to break it off because I didn’t love him anymore. But I don’t understand what happened to make me say that I don’t love him anymore.”

Jyushi and Hitoya share looks of confusion and worry of varying levels before they try to think of reasons why this happened to Kuko. Immediately, Jyushi thinks of the hypnosis mic being the problem. However, if that was such a case, the effects from this are long term. Was there seriously a way to keep someone under hypnosis for two years? Jyushi files this away for later, wondering if searches on the internet can help him with that question. 

After long minutes of not finding a solution anyone was comfortable voicing, Kuko just drops the case. “It’s alright. If it ain’t meant to be then so be it. It’s already been a couple years since the incident anyways.”

Jyushi could almost sob. In fact, he does. He pulls Kuko into a bone crushing hug with tears streaming down his face. “One day, you’ll be able to find your solution! Kuko-san will definitely have another chance at romance! Please don’t be bothered by this, please!”

Kuko laughs and whacks Jyushi’s back, hard. “Of course I know that Jyushi. This path I’ve created for myself is going forward, not backwards. If I went backwards, then we wouldn’t be able to kick some ass for the second division rap battle!”

Kuko raises his hand to the night sky and grasps the infinite amount of stars that are visible. “Are ya with me? Jyushi? Hitoya?”

Hitoya lets out a huff, but smirks soon after. “If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be spending my time off with a couple of brats.”

Jyushi clasps his hands together. “Of course I’m with you, Kuko-san! It is only thanks to Kuko-san and Hitoya-san that my life has changed to what it is now!”

Kuko lets out a hearty laugh. “Oi, what about ya boyfriend!”

“He changed my life too, but there’s a difference between changing my life and saving my life!” Jyushi argues adorably. Kuko’s laugh hangs in the air as he lets go of his worries, alongside the bright, cheerful smile of one raven haired teen who shared cola bottles with him and kissed him in the intimacy of night time.

“I think you’ve got something messed up there Jyushi!”

“Why do you think so, Kuko-san?!” Hitoya can only shut his eyes and sigh at the lively banter between the two, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.

… As long as they don’t ask him to have his nails painted again. 

Jiro gets ready to board his afternoon train to Nagoya. One stuffed duffel bag and his red guitar by his side, he waves goodbye to his friends, who give him a loud send off full of excitement and envy. After Takahashi and the others promise to try and make it to Nagoya, he gets ready to head to the train station. But before he does, he ends up making a detour to his house. Saburo waits outside their building, arms crossed across his chest and his newly acquired choker from Jyushi sparkles in the sunlight. When his eyes catch Jiro, his scowl deepens slightly.

“As expected of Jiro. Even when you try to prepare beforehand you forget something. ” Jiro’s eyebrow twitches before Saburo pushes something in his hands. It’s the lightning bolt pendant he thought….

“You put it on your table next to your phone, but you left it when you got ready to leave.”

Jiro sets down his duffel to undo the clasp and put the necklace around his neck. Somehow, the feeling of the cold metal on his neck like this is foreign. But there’s still no way that he’d not wear this pendant. This was part of a set he has with his beloved boyfriend, a few hours away. And if Jiro can concentrate hard enough, he can almost feel the excited tug against his heart and maybe, just maybe… Jyushi is just as excited as he is about coming over.

“Ichi-nii is in the middle of a job, so he might not make it to the train station in time. He told me to tell you to have fun out there, but to not forget about the thing that hangs in the air between you two.” Saburo shakes his head. “Honestly, I could care less about whatever you two do, but whatever happens, don’t cause Jyushi any trouble, got that?”

Jiro can’t help the amused smirk that spreads across his face as he pulls Saburo in and ruffles his hair a bit. “Aww, Jyushi has grown on you, huh?”

“Hey! Stop that Baka-Jiro!!” Saburo fights Jiro off with his arms before settling the score with a stomp on his foot. Jiro has to release Saburo due to the pain, and the two have their very normal everyday banter due to this incident. WIth a heavy sigh, Saburo pushes Jiro towards the direction of the train station.

“Don’t let that one skill you have go to waste while you’re there, Jiro.”

Jiro looks down at his phone clock and almost panics. But he waves Saburo off with a bright grin and Saburo can’t help but crack a smile when he watches Jiro run like he’s never done before. The time Jyushi spent with them just solidified Saburo’s thoughts about Jyushi. 

He really was a good guy, and the feelings he has towards Jiro are pure and unwavering. Upon first look, they seem to be complete opposites. But maybe it is because they’re so different that their relationship can work the way it does. Saburo is looking forward to seeing Jyushi in a more professional light, to see how he is on a normal day as a band leader.

Saburo eventually turns to go back inside the house and informs Ichiro about Jiro’s status.

Jiro should’ve taken the 4pm ticket instead of the 3:15 ticket. He should’ve known he would’ve needed more time with how hard it is to round up his friends when it's not on an agreed upon soccer day. But he does safely make it to the train platform with a couple minutes to spare. 

“Jiro!!” Jiro turns his head and raises his hand. “Nii-chan! I thought you were out on a job!”

Ichiro runs up to him with a smile. “I just finished it a little while ago. More importantly, do you have everything?”

Jiro knows he packed all his necessities amongst a week and a half’s worth of clothes. His guitar is with him, Saburo gave him his necklace, his phone is in his jeans pocket, and his ticket is…?!

“Where the hell did I put my ticket?!” After frantic searching Jiro finds his ticket in his wallet… inside his duffel. With a sigh of relief Jiro feels accomplished. “I think I’ve got everything, Nii-chan!”

With a nod and a smile, Ichiro pats Jiro on the head. “You’ve done well Jiro. Perhaps Jyushi has influenced you more than expected.”

“Ehe… I’m just nervous and excited.” Jyushi was waiting for him. And an exciting new adventure would await Jiro, another exciting chapter on his summer of youth. While he’s still certain his guitar skills aren’t good enough for a professional band performance… if he can stand on the same stage as Jyushi, even for one night, Jiro would take it.

“No matter what happens, enjoy yourself Jiro. That is the thing Jyushi would want you to do the most.” Jiro nods. “Yeah! I will!”

“I picked up some stuff on the way. Enjoy these with Jyushi when you get to Nagoya. And at least let us know you’re alive, okay? Saburo and I will do everything we can to attend the live.” Jiro gratefully takes the bag from Ichiro’s hands and the train arrives at the platform.

He looks at his older brother with the biggest grin on his face. “I’ll call you when I arrive at Nagoya! I’ll be off then!”

Ichiro watches as his beloved younger brother rushes straight ahead, embarking on a brand new journey without him by his side. Jyushi really has changed Jiro in more ways than could be described. But that happiness that Jiro radiates is all Ichiro had hoped for. So Jiro might not rely on him as much as he did in the past. Jiro was growing up, and he was experiencing life away from the small bubble that was the Yamada brothers. Instead of being sad about it, Ichiro is glad Jiro is walking straight forward without any regrets.

But no matter what happens, Ichiro will be there for him. Because Jiro is one of his beloved younger brothers.

Ichiro spots Jiro as he waves at him from inside the train and Ichiro waves him off until the train leaves the platform. 

“Have fun Jiro…” 

Jyushi leaves the jewelry store with an excited jump to his step. It was a decision that he had trouble deciding on, because of the sheer amount of time they’ve spent together can only amount to a few handful of days. But he didn’t need those days together to know that Jiro is someone Jyushi needs to have by his side. As a result, he found himself spending a lot of money getting a couple ring made for the two of them.

Inside the ring, 14th Moon and M.C. M.B are tied together with the tiniest of hearts.

Jyushi probably should’ve worried about the moneythat he dropped to purchase these rings. But at that moment, he couldn’t care about it. A future with Jiro was more important, and for Jyushi, that is the most important thing. 

“You look happy, Jyushi. Will you give it to Jiro right away?” Amanda asks. Jyushi shakes his head. “I don’t think it will be ready when Jiro is here. I think I’ll just hold on to them for a little while…”

Amanda tilts their head. “So… Is this the famous couple ring, or is this an engagement ring?”

Jyushi blinks once. Twice. Three times. Then his face erupts in abright blush. “W-W-W-What are you saying, Amanda? We’re still too young for that!”

Amanda snickers, and with their perfectly set smile, Jyushi almost wonders if that’s his friend’s way of messing with him. “Don’t think that you’re too young for anything, Jyushi. If that is something you’re certain about having, then why shouldn’t you do that?”

“Even when we don’t know… everything about each other?” Jyushi asks. Amanda shrugs. “You’ll eventually tell him about Kuko-san and Hitoya-san… About Bad Ass Temple… Is that… something you worry about?”

Jyushi walks down the street, holding his crossbody close to his body. “It’s probably the only thing I’ve hidden from him. If he doesn’t take it the right way… I don’t know how I’ll react.”

“But at the very least you’ve told Yamada Ichiro about being in a rap group. It’s not like you’re intentionally hiding all this from Jiro. It’s just you’ve never gathered enough courage to speak your mind about it. Jiro knows how hard it is for you to disclose things like that sometimes. So… I think things will turn out for the better.”

Jyushi looks down at his best friend. “You think so, Amanda?”

Amanda nods. “It will be okay, Jyushi. You and Jiro manage to get through all that communication stuff pretty well, even though speaking out about all that stuff isn’t a strong point for either of you. So I think that will also pertain to this situation as well.”

At that moment, Jyushi gets a message. Amanda slides down the crossbody and jumps. “Jyushi! Jiro’s coming!!”

Immediately Jyushi stops walking and looks at his phone. There’s an image of Jiro’s chipped manicure in a V sign as the scenery zooms past. I’m on my way to you this time.  

Jyushi’s smile widens and his heart races in excitement. “Oh Amanda! I’ve got to get things ready! Two hours will go by in a flash!”

Jyushi immediately runs down the street to the supermarket and picks up a ton of ingredients he remembered that he would have to get. As Amanda looks at what Jyushi puts inside the basket, they can only tilt their head. “Is this what you need for Yamada Ichiro’s curry?”

Jyushi makes a small humming sound before nodding. “For the most part, I think this is all for the curry isn’t it… Well, it should be enough for today.” When Jyushi checks out, Amanda becomes giddy with excitement at the thought of Jyushi cooking for someone other than himself. He’s been practicing whenever he could ever since Ichiro gave Jyushi the recipes to the dishes he had. And sure, there have been some situations where the dishes were burnt, or under seasoned. But Jyushi had no intention of giving up, and faced the challenges with a determined gaze or a simple smile.

Today is no different. Jyushi makes the base for the curry and Amanda watches the time. When all the ingredients for the curry are left to simmer, Jyushi heaves the rice cooker his uncle and aunt got him for his housewarming party. “To think I would actually need this… Thanks, Uncle, Aunty…”

Washing the rice he got from the supermarket, Jyushi ends up singing for the strangest of reasons. But Amanda joins in and their kitchen becomes lively with their happy voices. When Jyushi finally presses the right button on his rice cooker to start cooking, Amanda looks down at the time, accompanied with their own picture of Jiro and Jyushi on the Ferris wheel. “I think it's almost time, Jyushi. Do we have all that we need?”

After undoing his apron and letting his hair down again, Jyushi walks down the hallway to his room. His spare futon was washed and lay in front of his bed. But of course… Jyushi pushed aside his multitude of pillows in case they were going to sleep on the same bed again. Jyushi’s bed was about the same size as Jiro’s, so it was possible. So that was all good!

Closet space was good as well. Jiro’s arrival was a great excuse for Jyushi to move around his wardrobe and pull out all his summer clothes. Since a majority of his coats were now in storage, there was a little bit of space for Jiro to hang up his clothes there.

Next was the bathroom. Was he restocked on his shampoo? After blinking a multitude of times, Jyushi realizes he prepared almost too well when it came to his cosmetics. After realizing two bottles of shampoo and conditioner were in storage, amongst toner, makeup remover, nail polish remover, and other things that were there, he can only shrug. At least he had everything he needed. His toothpaste was practically new too!

There was space for Jiro’s products. There’s almost everything needed for someone to stay over for a long duration. Was there anything else he needed then?

Thinking about it for a long minute he decides that he’s sufficiently prepared for Jiro’s stay. And he’ll also decide to not think about the other thing that’s bubbling underneath the surface. The thing that caused a few problems already.

To prevent himself from thinking anymore about it, he grabs his bag and Amanda. “I think we’re all good Amanda. Shall we get going then?”

Amanda jumps inside Jyushi’s crossbody and nods. “Let’s welcome Jiro to our town. The place that we love.” Jyushi’s smile grows tenfold at that statement. After making sure all appliances are turned off, and making a mental note to try and reheat the rice later, Jyushi locks the door to his apartment and gets ready to head to the train station.

Their journey to the train station is bright, and full of color. The sun was still high up in the sky, and normally, Jyushi wouldn’t be so eager to come out to this heat and humidity because it wreaks havoc on his hair and makeup. But Jiro was on his way. And that mere fact made Jyushi feel somewhat invincible to the cruel attacks of summer. 

When Jyushi arrives at the train station, a train is slowing down and stopping in front of his eyes. After looking for an overhead display screen, he realizes it came from Ikebukuro.

The doors open and people begin to come out of the train. As much as Jyushi would probably love to rush to the front, he can get a better look from the back. And after a minute of searching, Jyushi’s heart leaps at the sight of a familiar blue and red cap.

“Jiro!!” Jyushi yells out, waving his hand. Jiro jolts at the sudden sound of someone calling his name, but then he frantically looks around until he sees Jyushi waving at him.

Jiro doesn’t waste any time rushing towards Jyushi, pushing against the wave of people trying to get out of the train station. As soon as Jiro gets himself, his luggage, and his guitar safely out of the mob, he has the urge to just wrap his arms around Jyushi and hug him long and tight.

Judging from the way Jyushi’s hands twitch, Jiro can think he’s thinking the same thing. But the train station is jam packed with people. Their moment of intimacy can wait a little bit until they’re somewhere less populated.  Jiro and Jyushi both settle with taking a selfie and Jiro sends it send to his group chat with Ichiro and Saburo. Jiro can’t help but smile at the fact they both were wearing the lightning bolt pendants and they shone beautifully even in the artificial light overhead.

Managed to get here safely!!

Jyushi snags Jiro’s duffel and manages to get his boyfriend out of the train station. There isn’t much to be said until they reach Jyushi’s apartment, even if Jiro enjoyed the sights from the short walk from the train station. The moment Jyushi’s key slides into the lock, the two almost hurriedly rush inside. Jiro leans his guitar bag against the wall, and Jyushi drops Jiro’s duffel in front of his couch. The moment their hands are free, they pull each other in for a bone crushing hug that spills all the emotions they’ve felt over a week and a half of not being able to see each other. 

“Man Jyushi… I’ve missed you.” Jiro mumbles, his hands running up and down Jyushi’s back while Jyushi just continues to pull him close. “I should be the one saying that, Jiro. We’ve only parted from each other a week and a half ago, but it seems like eternity.”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s love talking!” Amanda exclaims and the two part from their hug to look down. Jiro holds Amanda in his hands and grins at the stuffed pig. “Man, I’d never think I’d ever say this, but I missed you too, Amanda!”

Amanda jumps in Jiro’s hand. “I have missed you too, Jiro. I’ve been excited about your visit since we planned this!”

Amanda gets stroked by both Jyushi and Jiro until Jyushi covers their eyes. Amanda doesn’t need to see in order to know that Jyushi is kissing his boyfriend for the first time in a week and a half. Even without seeing their surroundings, they can see the bright red string that binds the two together, tightening and becoming even stronger than it was last time.

Their kisses are soft and comforting. Something about the way they familiarize themselves with these intimate actions that almost seem like second nature is addicting every single time. Just the innocent pressing of lips is enough for them to find peace in the chaos of their long-distance relationship. 

Jiro finds himself feeling at home even if he has barely taken off his shoes. Maybe it's because Jyushi’s presence makes everything seem comfortable… Or maybe it’s because there’s something in the air that smells uncannily like Ichiro’s curry…?!!

Jiro pulls away from the kiss barely, his eyes wide as he gazes at Jyushi’s utterly content expression. “Did you seriously make Nii-chan’s curry for me?!”

A confident nod. “I had asked Ichiro-san for his recipes so I could try and cook them myself… It might not taste the same, but I thought it would be okay because I wanted to feed you more than instant noodles and take out. But to be honest, with the way we practice, you might be stuck with take out for the week and a half.” Before Jyushi can say any more, Jiro’s pulling him down for another kiss, full of appreciation and this overwhelming feeling that he’s going to find things that make him love Jyushi forever at this rate.

“You didn’t hafta do this, you know. I would’ve been fine with take out.” Jyushi leans in and gently presses their foreheads together. “I’d never wish that upon Jiro. Besides, I always did want to try making my own food, and try to have a more balanced diet. Half of the reason why I don’t try though is because of my unnatural schedule. At least while we can, let me cook for you?”

Amanda finds themself crushed between Jyushi and Jiro’s hands, but they don’t feel pain. Instead they only feel content that Jiro is reacting positively to Jyushi’s actions. “I’ll only let you if you let me cook for you as well.”

A small chuckle escapes Jyushi’s black stained lips. “If that’s what Jiro wants, then I won’t refuse.”

Amanda squeezes their way out of Jyushi’s hold and stays with Jiro. “I’ll guide Jiro and get him settled in. You should reheat the curry and check everything in the meanwhile. We can always show Jiro around after he gets some food.”

With a nod, Jyushi turns towards the kitchen and begins simmering the curry once more. After checking the rice, and deciding it really did need some more time to heat up, Jyushi then turns to taste testing the curry and smiling at the taste that spreads inside his mouth.

It might be the taste of love or something, but it makes Jyushi feel warm and happy. 

Meanwhile, Amanda hops on Jiro’s shoulder and guides him to Jyushi’s room. Jiro’s jaw practically hangs open at the dark theme of the room. The walls were painted a dark maroon, and there was so much to unpack from this one room… but Jiro took it all in. On the left side of the room was Jyushi’s bed and the lone window, covered with blackout curtains. By the bed was a spare futon, which Jiro figures is an option for him if that was what he wanted. A multitude of pillows were stacked beside the spare futon, which Amanda lands on. “So Jiro…. Welcome to Jyushi’s room! Does it look a little familiar?”

Jiro looks at that lone window for a long while before realizing. “We video chatted here before.” Amanda nods. “This is Jyushi’s safe spot I guess you could call it. The one place he can truly feel like himself.” 

Jiro looks at the other walls. Next to Jyushi’s bed was a working desk with a string of lights and a crescent moon light hanging on the upper part of the wall. Lying innocently on the working desk was a laptop, and some stray bottles of nail polish. Next to the laptop was a stack of blank sheet music and a mug full of writing utensils. “So this is where Jyushi makes his music, huh?”

Amanda nods. “ Sometimes he writes it by hand, other times he does it on the computer. He feels like he can write all his music with more ease here, and usually when he’s here, he won’t stop until he’s done. Of course, that usually ends up leaving him with sleepless nights and abnormal schedules… but Jiro knows that, doesn’t he?”

Jiro can only nod distantly. He knows about all that, based on the times Jyushi frequently sends his messages. As he continues to scan Jyushi’s room he realizes there’s small stars scattered around the walls and ceiling. “It looks like the night sky…”

Amanda directs Jiro to Jyushi’s closet. “There’s room in the closet for you to hang up your clothes. By all means, use this space.” Jiro opens the sliding door to the closet and is shocked to see all the clothes that are hung up in Jyushi’s closet. The black articles all seem nostalgic to Jiro, like without all this black in the closet, it wouldn’t be Jyushi’s style at all. Jyushi left some hangers empty for Jiro’s clothes and he figures he should accept Jyushi’s kind gestures.

When he finishes hanging up his clothes, Amanda sees the box stuffed in the dark recesses of the bag. If Amanda could raise their eyebrows, they would. “Oh… is Jiro planning to cross some lines while he’s here?”

Jiro jumps. Frantically, he hides the box deeper inside his bag. “No! This was Nii-chan’s doing! He just told me to come prepared—! Ahhh fuck it’s not like that!” Jiro’s face burns brightly and he just sighs, hiding behind his hands. “I just… don’t think we want to go further. What we have is nice enough, you know?”

Amanda nods. “Jyushi has told me something similar. But I’ll tell you what I told Jyushi. You two are teenagers. It won’t be considered strange if you two engage in the sexual aspect of your relationship. You two only know for sure what you two want from this, so going at your current pace is fine. But don’t beat yourselves up for wanting those other things. And I think Yamada Ichiro knows that, thus the box in your bag.”

Jiro pokes Amanda with his burning face. “Don’t make it sound like we’ll be like that Amanda.”

Amanda can only laugh. 

After that conversation passes, Jiro finds himself leaning his guitar in the area next to the white one that stands proud next to Jyushi’s extensive collection of Visual Kei albums. The guitar is in pristine condition and is well taken care of. Jiro can’t help but smile at the thought that Jyushi really loves this guitar.

Jiro loves the general ambience of the room. Because it is Jyushi’s style. He wonders if this is how Jyushi felt like when he stayed over.

Deciding to leave the other things for later, Jiro leaves the room and walks back to the dining room. Jyushi turns around and smiles. “Dinner’s ready, Jiro. Are you all settled in?”

Jiro grins. “For now. More importantly, I’m looking forward to tasting Jyushi’s cooking!” Amanda jumps up and lands on top of the table. “While I can’t taste anything, I’m sure of the love and dedication that went into the curry!!”

Jyushi hangs the apron on the hook and finds one of his hair clips to pull back his bangs. Jiro smiles like a love-struck fool at the sight of the mostly covered eye, and Jyushi can only blush and smile back. After a moment of realization, Jiro takes off his cap and hangs it on the back of his chair. They clasp their hands and say their prayers before digging in.

Upon the first bite, Jiro knew that it was delicious. But of course it would be! It was his boyfriend using his Nii-chan’s recipe! And Jiro wasn’t so blind to the healing scabs on Jyushi’s fingers, hardly distinguishable thanks to the power of makeup. It reminds Jiro of the time Ichiro first started cooking for the three of them. He was wearing bandages all the time, but even if something was burnt or didn’t taste right, Jiro could taste the love in it.

This tasted just like that. And there’s something in Jiro’s chest that clenches and he’s overwhelmed by this overflowing emotion that could only be labeled as… love.

“I-is it okay? Did I put too many onions in it? What about the rice? I haven’t used this before, but it looked okay?” 

Jiro puts his hand on top of his boyfriend’s and smiles, even if he’s got some rice stuck on his face.

“It tastes awesome, Jyushi. You should try it for yourself.” Jyushi hesitantly picks up his own spoon and takes a bite of his own curry. Jyushi’s eyes widen in surprise at the first bite. It’s not like Ichiro’s curry, but it’s still delicious. At first, Jyushi wasn’t so sure about how it would turn out because his skills in the kitchen are practically nonexistent. But the image of him and Jiro sharing a home cooked meal together encouraged him throughout the process. “I-it’s good?!”

Jiro’s grin only widens. “Isn’t it?!”

Jyushi almost cries in joy, but he continues to eat his meal, ingraining this memory to his brain.

Jiro enjoys the sights of Nagoya at night. Jyushi guides him by the hand as he shows Jiro the areas he frequents that are close to his apartment. Majority of the areas are filled with fashion and cosmetic outlets, and restaurants that are open late into the night. Jyushi points out all these places he frequents, and somehow Jiro can imagine all those scenarios where Jyushi needs a break from writing his music, and walking into all these places.

Along the way, Jiro spots an arcade and Jyushi can only laugh. “I knew you’d notice this, Jiro.” Even while saying that though, he tugs Jiro towards the arcade, where the Dance Dance Revolution station remains empty. 

Jiro turns his cap around and points to the DDR machine. “Are you down for a rematch?”

Jyushi slips off his thin coat and lays it down next to his crossbody. With one of those flashy poses, Jyushi’s persona comes out. “Very well. If it is what My Knight desires, a rematch is what we will have! Let’s have a fair battle!”

After putting their tokens into the machine they somehow get engrossed in dancing away the minutes much like they did that fateful afternoon a couple months ago. This time, Jyushi was able to keep up the high pace of dancing a lot longer than he did before. Kuko did put him through a lot of training in Jyushi’s journey to becoming stronger, but he didn’t expect it to help his stamina as well!

Jiro sees that Jyushi is keeping up with him and he can only smile wider at this unexpected development. They end up getting stumped on Ievan Polka of all songs though. Hatsune Miku’s cover was a literal change of pace and as easy as it should’ve been to dance this, they kept on missing steps and they could only laugh as their legs gave out and they lean heavily against the rails.

They take a while to catch their breath and when they look at each other again, they burst out laughing. Even with sweat dripping from their face, and the nighttime humidity makes their clothes cling to their skin, they continue to laugh and enjoy themselves.

“What did you do while we were apart! You didn’t have this much stamina when we did this a couple months ago!” Jiro asks.

Jyushi gently wipes away the sweat from his face and he ends up shaking his head. “I didn’t do anything, to be honest. I helped out a friend of mine at his temple though… maybe that was what helped me? I never knew how long it takes to clean a temple…?” With a heavy sigh Jyushi shakes his head. “It’s really tough though…”

Jyushi walks out of the arcade to reach the nearby vending machine and Jiro follows behind. “I’m glad, whatever it was that you did.”

“Eh?” Jyushi turns to face his boyfriend. Jiro’s bright grin blinds him for a moment. “It was a challenging battle, even more than it was a couple months ago. You kept me on my toes there for a couple minutes. I’m looking forward to our next challenge.”

Jyushi looks left and right before leaning in to kiss his boyfriend, who only smiles into the kiss. “Maybe it will be more challenging next time.”

Jiro’s smile only gets impossibly larger at that. “I hope so.”

After walking around for a little while longer, it was pretty late into the night. Fully aware of the fact that their practice was early in the afternoon, Jyushi decides that maybe he and Jiro should get ready for their extensive practice schedule that will pack the majority of Jiro’s time here in Nagoya. Jiro doesn’t say anything as Jyushi takes him back home, even though it was barely ten at night. Behind all the smiles and laughs, Jiro really was nervous about meeting all the Argo Kishii Gakudan members in person.

Maybe a good sleep will lay those nerves to rest.

When Jyushi turns on the lights, he turns on the switch that doesn’t control the overhead lights, but the light that controls the various string lights that cover the apartment. It really does give a romantic aura to the room, and with Jiro by his side, it somehow seems even more romantic. The warm illumination of the string lights and the bright moon light covers the room in a warm, comfortable feeling, while also illuminating the small speckles of stars around the walls and ceilings.

“It’s almost like looking at the night sky, even with these maroon colored walls.” Jiro mutters softly, tightening his hold on Jyushi’s hand.

“When I was younger… I did think about wanting to become an astronaut.” Jyushi mutters. “Those dreams were all swept away though, with age and my interests moving on to Visual Kei bands. As much as I don’t think about wanting to be in space though… I do love looking at the night sky. Maybe that is a reason why I am comfortable with staying up late into the night.”

Jiro heaves a happy sigh as he continues looking at the alluring sparkle of the walls and lights. “Dreams about the future huh? I didn’t think much about those, to be honest. After all the stuff that happened at the orphanage, I ended up not thinking about much besides growing up quickly to support Nii-chan. Nii-chan did everything for us, even if Saburo and I didn’t know what was going on at the time. So I don’t think I really had a goal, or a desire to become anything else than an adult that could support Nii-chan.”

“What about soccer? Jiro is really talented.” Jyushi looks at Jiro, who only shrugs. “I do love soccer, sure. But is it really something I can imagine myself doing as a profession? I’m not sure. I mean, I think I could see myself working with Nii-chan and taking care of everyone under the Yorozuya Yamada name.”

Jyushi smiles at that image. Yorozuya Yamada was the business that brought them together. Being able to continue working and succeeding such a fine establishment was good in its own way. “Well, you still have time before you graduate high school Jiro. Maybe you’ll find another path in the meanwhile.”

Jiro shrugs and innocently sticks his tongue out. “Meh, this kinda stuff is a pain to think about. I’d rather stay in the present and enjoy what I can.”

Jiro turns Jyushi to face him, and  reaches up to move the fringe away from Jyushi’s covered eye for a little bit. “What do you say Jyushi. Think we can enjoy ourselves and act like fools for a little while?”

Jyushi grabs Jiro’s hand and leans into the touch with a smile. “I hope we can. Not that I’m really aware of how fools would act, but at the very least, I hope we can enjoy what time we have together.”

They share smiles before pressing innocent kisses on their cheeks and hands. Before they go any further, Jyushi lets go of Jiro’s hand. “We’ll have a lot to practice starting tomorrow, so we should probably turn in early.” With a reluctant nod, Jiro lets himself be separated from Jyushi’s hold. 

“You can go and shower first, Jiro. I still have some things I need to take care of.”

Amanda takes this opportunity to jump out of the bag. “Feel free to use anything there if you need it!”

Jiro has a split second thought about asking Jyushi to shower with him, and then immediately trashes the thought before the realization spreads on his face. Grabbing his clean clothes and toiletries, he hurries to take a relaxing bath to dispel all his various worries and miscellaneous thoughts from his mind.

The moment the door is closed, Jyushi allows himself to sit on his bed and scream, albeit very, very quietly. Amanda tilts their head. “What’s wrong, Jyushi?”

Jyushi’s hands twitch. “I…”

“You…”

“I…. I want to redo Jiro’s manicure!!!!!”

That proclamation is enough to make Amanda lose their balance, but at the same time it was so Jyushi that they couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“But you guys are gonna be practicing a lot in the next week. Wouldn’t that just be another problem? I mean, you’d be redoing your own manicure before the live, but if you redid Jiro’s today, you’d have to redo it again before the live.”

Jyushi hangs his head low as a sigh escapes his lips. “I know that, Amanda. But I just can’t help but want to do it, you know? The chips honestly aren’t terrible , but ahh….”

Amanda jumps on Jyushi’s lap. “To be honest, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting. But I should’ve realized that this is what it would come down to, instead of the other things that came to mind.”

Jyushi blinks innocently at his best friend. “Other… things?”

Amanda snickers. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Jyushi’s eyebrows furrow. “Now you’re worrying me, Amanda. What are you talking about?”

Amanda debates on whether or not they should say anything. But considering the fact that they already said something, they should just come out and say everything, right?

With a sigh, they sit down, moving their stuffed appendages to point at the duffel that was open by the door. “Yamada Ichiro sent Jiro here with a box of condoms.” That’s all they need to say before Jyushi’s face is bright red. “A-A-Amanda! I thought we said that we wouldn’t think about this until someone’s birthday passed at the very least?!!”

Amanda shrugs. “That’s what we might have agreed on but it might not be what your body says.”

Jyushi lays on his bed, face in his hands. “Don’t say that Amanda!! I don’t want Jiro’s stay here to be stranger than it already is!!”

Amanda laughs long and hard. “I guess I’m thinking too far into the future. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Jyushi feels the flush dissipate on his skin enough that he can remove his hands from his face and he can stare at the twinkling reflection of stars on the ceiling.

After letting the stars take away the current worries, Jyushi does sit up to do what he had intended on doing, which was revising the chords on the guitar line to make Jiro’s part for all the music lined up for the live. He found the process very interesting as he envisioned how the chords would harmonize with each other. The chords blossomed into something much more, and Jyushi could envision how they all would look like on stage.

He finished the chord revision for a couple songs before Jiro came into the room, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

Jyushi turns around and smiles. Relocating to his bed, Jyushi pulls Jiro in and rubs his hair dry. “So, whatcha doing?” Jiro asks as he closes his eyes and enjoys the comforting pressure of Jyushi’s fingers on his scalp. 

A soft, comforting hum. “I was revising some of our music to make your part. At first I thought it was okay if you shared the same part as Kei-kun, but then I realized that maybe that wouldn’t work.”

Jiro sticks his tongue out at the thought and his shoulders drop. “You shouldn’t be putting your hopes on me like that, Jyushi…..”

Jyushi smiles. “I think Jiro will be okay. But maybe I should warn you…”

“?”

Jyushi drops the towel from his manicured hands and lets Jiro turn to face him. “Because this is our practice week before our live, I’ll probably be a bit… strict during practice. It’s something… bizarre if I say so myself. But even if I say terrible things to you or anyone else in our practice, know I still love you and know you’re trying your best.”

The statement sounds strange, coming from Jyushi. But Jiro understands that this might be a different Jyushi he hasn’t seen yet. The perfectionist that strives for only the best for his audience, perhaps.

Placing his hands on Jyushi’s cheeks, Jiro leans in to press the softest of kisses to Jyushi’s lips. The action melts away Jyushi’s frozen hands and he grips on to Jiro’s shirt. 

“It’s okay, Jyushi. I’m more than aware of the fact that I might have a lot to work on. I’ll probably deserve all those scoldings because my skill is nothing compared to you guys’. I’ll just use that as fuel to keep on going until I get it right.”

Jyushi can only sigh softly. “If Jiro says so… I’ll trust him. But… I just don’t want you to think I hate you…”

Jyushi’s eyes feel hot as his vision blurs and tears form. Jiro quickly wipes them away before they have any chance to fall. “I wouldn’t ever think that Jyushi. You’re warning me of this a day before we’d start. You could’ve not said anything and left me to figure this out on the fly. You’re still being considerate of me, and I’m appreciative of the gesture. But don’t cry over these things.”

Jiro moves strands of Jyushi’s bangs before pressing their foreheads together. “Let me see more sides to you, Jyushi. Let me see more and more until I’ve learned everything there is to you. Let me love you more, completely and wholly like I want to.” Another wave of tears overwhelms Jyushi as he leans into Jiro’s embrace. “I-If Jiro is alright with it…”

Jiro strokes layered strands of raven and blonde with the gentlest smile on his face. “Damn right I am.”

Jiro almost feels like he should be taking back all those comforting words he told Jyushi last night. Barely an hour has passed and Jiro’s been slammed with all sorts of comments. They haven’t even gone through one song completely, because Jyushi points at Jiro and finds something wrong with whatever Jiro has played.

For the most part, it’s the technicalities of it all. “Jiro, you played the wrong note there,” or “Jiro, you’re supposed to be harmonizing with Keisuke, not matching Keisuke.” But it wasn’t just Jiro. Keisuke, the guitarist, Takeru, the bassist, and Jun, the drummer all got some comment of some sort from Jyushi. Granted though… they seemed to know what was wrong and easily fixed their problems from the next run on. 

Jiro feels like all the notes on his paper are ingrained into his memory, like he knows what it is that he needs to play. But it just won’t come out right, and no matter how many times he writes notes and simple pointers all over the blank spaces, it’s not enough.

While Jyushi is giving his comments to Keisuke, the guitarist looks over and sees the growing stress put tension on Jiro’s shoulders. “Say, Jyushi… I could take care of the solo part from B section… Jiro-kun has a lot on his plate.”

Jyushi firmly shakes his head. “I’ve decided Jiro will take care of this solo, since you’re taking care of the synth part here. I will not have any corrections or alterations to this, not when one day hasn’t even passed. If Jiro cannot handle this, then maybe we should think that we overestimated his potential.”

Jiro feels numb from all these comments. Like, he knows that it would be hard. He expected this to be a challenge. But to have his amazing musician boyfriend rub it in his face that his skill was nothing compared to them just hurt him in a way that he never expected.

Jiro’s eyes sting. Why the hell is he crying over something he knew from the first place?! Takeru is closest to Jiro and is about to reach out to him when Jiro pulls the plug connecting his guitar to the amplifier and hightails it out of the practice room.

Jyushi turns around just when he spots a single tear trailing down Jiro’s cheek.

Jyushi feels like his entire world has crumbled at the sight as reality finally catches up with him. Tears brim his eyes as all aspects of the previous Jyushi melts away and reveals his bare, normal self.

“W-Was Jiro… I… I made him cry…?”

Takeru, Keisuke, and Jun all look at each other. They knew this week would be a bit more stressful. Jyushi’s such a perfectionist at these times before big lives that they dub this new persona Mr. Perfect. It’s the only side of Jyushi that can throw out scathing comments that make one feel like they’re talking to an entirely new person. It usually comes out as a result of stress and worry, and it goes away when everything goes the way Jyushi initially planned it to be. While it’s a strange phenomenon, they always come out of these hellish practice sessions feeling like they’ve played the best they’ve ever done. And after Jyushi usually cries and profusely apologizes to them, so they also get their normal leader back too, a welcome plus.

But Jiro… This just made things a little different. 

“Did you tell Jiro-kun about this?” Takeru asks, setting his bass guitar down. Jyushi nods, barely able to get a reign on his tears. “I warned him… but he thought things would be okay? M-Maybe I was too harsh?”

Jun sets his drumsticks down. “To be honest, Mr. Perfect does say things that would ruin one’s hopes and dreams. But to the Jyushi who is always kind and facing problems day after day, Mr. Perfect is the only way you can “lash out” at people. Since it was us for all this time, we’ve been okay with it. But Jiro-kun… that might be another story. You basically bashed your boyfriend without a second glance.”

Keisuke sighs. “Did you have to say it that way?”

Jun’s about to retort when Jyushi falls to his knees. “J-Jiro… O-Of course I hurt him… I’m so stupid… I should’ve given him more time to get familiarized with the music…. Why didn’t I think of these things!” Jyushi turns around to search for his phone and searches for Jiro’s contact information. It doesn’t even take a few seconds before he’s sent to voicemail. “H-He’s not picking up… oh… what have I done…!” His phone falls out of his hands and Jyushi is crying like never before. The heartbreaking sounds are enough for everyone to feel uncomfortable trying to work on their individual parts.

Keisuke takes it upon himself to make the move to search for Jiro. He was the one who shared Jiro’s parts anyways. Taking his guitar with him, he gently pats Jyushi on the shoulder. “Things will be okay, Jyushi. Let’s just have individual practice for now.”

With a simple hand signal, he leaves his sobbing leader in the hands of his other bandmates and leaves the practice room.

Even though there were rooms all the way down the hallway, Keisuke figured he would find Jiro outside. And find him he did. He was sitting on the ledge of the wall that overlooked some of the residential district nearby. Keisuke could hear Jiro as he tried to wipe his tears away and play the chords to his part with little success. And yet, even when he doesn’t get it right, Jiro keeps on trying the same bars over and over again. “Damnit… why won’t my fingers listen to me!” Jiro furiously wipes his tears with his sleeve again before sighing. 

Jiro ends up looking at the sky for a long while. Keisuke takes this as his time to approach him. “Ya, I thought I’d find you here.”

Jiro jumps and turns to face Keisuke. He stiffens at the sight of the older male and Keisuke shakes his head. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Jiro-kun. I’m not here to scold you or anything. Hell, I’m surprised you lasted an hour of that hell Mr. Perfect puts us through before rushing out like that.” Keisuke finds himself sitting next to Jiro and they spend a long minute looking at their guitars. “... I know Jyushi doesn’t hate me. He told me that much before we came to practice today. But even though that’s the case, I’m just.. mad. At myself, for not living up to Jyushi’s expectations of me. But what hurts is that… he says all these things I’m more than aware of… and he told me before I came here that he wouldn’t get angry at me for my skill, or lack thereof.”

Keisuke kicks his legs and sighs. “Well, that’s Mr. Perfect for you. Aka, stressed and worried Jyushi. It happens all the time, but it’s not like we can constantly hold practices to ease Jyushi’s worries. There’s other obligations everyone else has, like having a more stable job and whatnot. This band is Jyushi’s job though… and I think that’s a reason why he gets so worried all the time. If Argo Kishii Gakudan doesn’t succeed, our contract is on the chopping block. In turn, all these worries and stress turn into the form of Mr. Perfect when it comes to crunch time before our important lives and whatnot. It’s a second armor to his stage persona… the one that can show Jyushi’s true worries without actually exposing himself. But Jyushi doesn’t want to burden you or any of us with his worries, so it all piles up on each other until Mr. Perfect can take the opportunity to just… explode. So, knowing this about Mr. Perfect, do you hate Jyushi?”

Jiro turns to face Keisuke so fast it surprises the guitarist. “Like hell would I hate him! I know I’m not strong enough for Jyushi to lean on. He might even think I’m unreliable because I’m still in school. I told him to show more sides of him to me… and I guess I just got more than what I bargained for. After hearing all these comments, and not knowing how to fix the problem without causing more problems… that’s probably why all these emotions just came over me and…” Jiro looks down at his guitar. “I know what I need to do. I’ve listened to all these tracks hundreds of times. I’ve memorized the guitar lines who knows how many times. I know how it should sound like… so why doesn’t it sound right? Nothing feels right on my fingers which is strange. I just played this damn thing earlier this week too…”

Keisuke realizes then, that Jiro wasn’t giving up. And his love towards Jyushi and his band enabled him to do such a thing as to memorize their music in multiple ways. Jiro knows what he needs to do. So Keisuke just has to get him through the problem. ‘Well, half of the problem is the harmonizing chords, you know? You’ve listened to the main line… my line and you’re relying on that previous context to put to your part. This time, play what you should be playing, without listening to the music in your head.”

The two prepare themselves and Jiro begins playing the part slowly. Keisuke grins. “See, this was good! But it doesn’t sound right to you, does it?”

Jiro shakes his head. Keisuke motions for him to play his part from the beginning and Keisuke plays the higher part alongside him. Jiro blinks many times in hearing their harmony. “When you think about the music for this live, don’t listen to our official recordings. Just listen to whatever comes off the page. Does that help a little?” Jiro looks down before nodding. “It does! I had wondered about it myself… but getting to hear it like this without everything else makes it seem more understandable. But… That’s only one of the problems. Could you play all of the songs we were gonna rehearse with me? I don’t wanna face Jyushi until I get all this down.”

Keisuke grins. “Sure, Boyfriend-kun. I’m leaving our leader to you when we break for the day.”

They kept on playing until Jiro got hand cramps, and even then, Keisuke felt like a lot of good things happened out of this encounter. Even Mr. Perfect, despite all his harsh comments, managed to bring one positive thing out of this. Keisuke knows Jiro’s good for Jyushi. His stubborn personality is enough to keep on coming to Jyushi, no matter what takes hold of him, be it stress or something else.

Jyushi’s crying doesn’t stop. Jun and Takeru don’t know what to exactly do. Keisuke didn’t bring his phone with him, so they can’t call him. And Boyfriend-kun doesn’t seem like he’s answering his phone either. With that said, they pack up their stuff and cancel practice for the rest of the day. Keisuke was gonna take care of Jyushi’s boyfriend. He was probably the only one who could, since their parts were practically the same. Takeru passes by the music stand Jiro used, and notices the multitude of notes all over the blank parts of the sheet music.

Try to not listen to the recordings, me. That’s what Jyushi’s telling me.

Focus!!

Don’t let Jyushi down.

Harmonization here, here, and here? Why doesn’t it sound right?!

Gotta practice the transitions to these chords faster. 

Watch for timing here.

Why doesn’t this sound right? Maybe consult Keisuke or Jyushi later.

The notes kept going and going and going, and the bassist realizes… Jiro loves Jyushi. Even if he burst out of the practice room like he did, it wasn’t because he hated Jyushi. 

He probably left so he could try to get the music down on his own before having to face Jyushi again. He didn’t want to disappoint his boyfriend even more than he did. And… he’s devoted to music. That seemed even more evident by all the circled parts all over the pages. 

He grabs the sheet music and takes it over to Jyushi. “Say, Boyfriend-kun doesn’t hate you. Look at all these notes. There’s so much written you  can barely read the sheet music, but I think these ones are the most important.”

Jyushi’s tears don’t stop, even if he does look at his bass guitarist. Shakily, he grabs the sheet music and reads all the notes on Jiro’s music. And as he progresses towards the end, he finds the most important and heart wrenching ones of them all.

Do it for Jyushi. 

He trusts me. Now time to see it through.

Damn… he really looks awesome when he sings this. . .

And above the final bar…

I love you, Jyushi. I swear to make this a good one.

Jyushi feels like his world is shattering again. His tears come out faster than before as he holds the sheet music close to him. Jun only continues to rub his back until the door opens and Jiro and Keisuke walk back in. Jyushi gasps, his head immediately looking into Jiro, and immediately Jiro’s on the floor, holding Jyushi’s face in his hands. 

“What’s wrong Jyushi…?”

Jyushi tries to get his words together. He tries to say something. But all that can come out are his sobs. His shaking frame reaches out to Jiro and their hug is bone crushing tight. “I-I! I made you cry Jiro! I’m so- so sorry!!”

Jiro gently cages Jyushi in his embrace, a wave of tears threatening to come over him too. “What are you apologizing for? You’re worried about a buncha stuff. I heard the gist of it from Keisuke. And you were just saying things that I was more than aware of, so it didn’t hurt. And I wasn’t crying because of your words. It was frustration towards myself for not being able to live up to your expectations. I knew it wasn’t possible from the beginning, but having it thrown at your face just makes it hurt all that much more.”

Jyushi sniffs, fat tears clinging to his eyelashes, and Jiro really hates seeing Jyushi look this crushed. He shouldn’t have to cry for his sake, or for anyone’s on that matter. “Y-you’re already doing so well. It’s not fair of me to expect the same from you compared to all my other friends, but I ended up comparing your skill to them… I’m sorry for saying all these things to you….” The tears don’t stop, so the heart wrenching sobs don’t stop either. Jiro wipes the tears away and kisses all over Jyushi’s face. “Don’t cry Jyushi… I’m okay. I needed to be by myself so I could actually hear what I was playing. Plus, I got a buncha pointers from Keisuke, so I thought it was enough to come to the practice room. I’m sorry for suddenly bursting out of the room like that….”

Jiro’s hands are grasped by Jyushi, who holds them to his chest. “Are you sure you don’t hate me? A-are you sure things are okay? S-sometimes the strangest things come out in the heat of the moment!”

Jiro shakes his head. “I don’t hate you Jyushi. I got to see you when you practice, and I got to learn a little more about your circumstances as the leader of this band. Even though I got into a little jam, I’m out of it now. So I still consider that a little victory.”

“But Jiro!” 

As much as Jiro will probably want to slap himself for doing this in front of Jyushi’s bandmates, he’ll do it anyways.

Jiro forces his hands out of Jyushi’s tight grip and places them on both sides of Jyushi’s face before kissing him. The action effectively stops Jyushi’s sobs, even if his breathing is still irregular. Jiro’s eyes are locked on Jyushi’s for the entire duration of the kiss, and Jyushi can only stare back at him wide with shock. After a long moment, Jyushi’s breathing becomes more normal, and the tears trail to a stop. And only when Jyushi has calmed down, does Jiro part from the kiss.

“Do you believe me now, Jyushi? I don’t hate you. I’m okay. Everything’s okay.”

Jyushi plays with his sleeves and carefully dabs his tears away, but he does nod. “I believe you. I’m sorry for treating you like this, Jiro….”

Jiro lets his fingers run through Jyushi’s layered hair and his comforting warmth remains in the back of Jyushi's neck. The elder lets the warmth seep over him and it causes all the tension to leave him. Jiro grins as he sees Jyushi’s body visibly relax from the action and he presses their forehead like they have always done. 

“I’m actually happy. You’re viewing me as an equal to all these musicians, without giving me any special treatment. It may be a challenge, but it’s something I won’t back down from.”

Jyushi ends up smiling softly as he lets Jiro’s words settle into his entire being. 

Keisuke puts his hands on his hips with a grin. “See, I told you things will be alright. Boyfriend-kun is just simply too stubborn to have something like that ruin his relationship with Jyushi. I’ve gotta say for his first time encountering Mr. Perfect, it’s a pretty successful outcome, don’t you think?”

With similar nods of agreement, Jun and Takeru breathe sighs of relief knowing that things are better than they first seemed. But then Jyushi is on alert again. “J-Jiro… I tried to call you, but it got sent to voicemail…”

Jiro blinks without understanding what he meant until something dreadful fills his being. “... don’t tell me I forgot to charge my phone….” He fishes for his phone in his back pocket, and sure enough, when he presses the home button, it doesn’t respond.

Jyushi blinks a few times in succession before he laughs. It shouldn’t be funny, especially because minutes ago he thought Jiro hated him from the bottom of his heart. Minutes ago, because this phone lost charge and turned off on its own, Jyushi thought his world was going to change in the worst ways ever. But he can’t help it. Laughing seems like the only reasonable action after all that has happened.

Jiro looks like he’s blaming his phone for causing Jyushi worry. He even looks like if he could talk to it, he would be. “Why did you do this to me?!” Or “Because of you, I made my boyfriend cry even more than necessary!!” Or something of the sort would fall from his lips as he jabs an accusatory finger at his dead screen. 

In fact… that was what Jiro was doing right now…? Jiro looks up from jabbing his poor dead phone to see Jyushi’s tears and smile. Even as Jyushi tries to wipe his tears away, they still keep on coming. But the way his blue eyes look at Jiro just shows…

Even with this hardship… there was love.

Jiro puts his phone back in his pocket with a sigh and lets the defeated smile spread on his face. “Well, sorry ‘bout that. Never expected my phone would die then of all times.”

Jyushi takes his sleeves and dabs his eyes once more. “No, it’s alright. At the very least, we have resolved that issue.”

That’s when Keisuke can’t hold back his laughter. “Oh that’s a first..! A phone dying in the middle of a tense situation…! I-I can’t, my stomach…!”

Jun and Takeru try to stifle their own laughter before they laugh alongside Keisuke. “If anything it wasn’t a dull excuse!”

The more everyone thinks about it, the stupider it seems. And when it seems like the most outrageous thing ever… everyone bursts out laughing.

After their laughing fest dies down a little, Jun stretches out a little. “Man, after all that practice and drama, I’m hungry! Say, Jyushi! Can’t we grab a bite to eat before practicing again?”

Takeru nudges the drummer with a smug look. “Oho, coming from the one guy that suggested we cancel practice because Jyushi was crying.”

Jun nudges back. “Oi! I only said that because we had no clue what was going on with Boyfriend-kun!”

Keisuke places his hands around their shoulders and pulls them in for a hug. “Ohhh, you guys were worried about Jiro, hmmm? I’m moved, real moved~”

The two push the guitarist away from them. “Don’t act like he’s your child or something!”

Keisuke flashes a smug look of his own. “But he kinda is? I mean, he doesn’t play bass or the drums. So technically, at the very least, he’s my underling/younger brother.”

Jun’s eyes slim. “Bruh, decide on what he is. Because there’s a big ass difference between underling and younger brother,”

Takeru nods. “Yeah! Jun-Jun’s right! If you’re not claiming him as your younger brother, I want to be Boyfriend-kun’s big brother figure!”

Keisuke’s eye twitches. “You wanna fight? I’m so gonna kick your asses and claim Jiro as my younger brother/underling!”

“Again! Decide on brother or underling!! ”

The three continue to argue over Jiro and the scene is too funny to be real. But Jyushi can only smile at the way they bicker over Jiro. It showed him how much they accepted Jiro, which was the thing he really hoped for when he suggested this while he was in Ikebukuro.

He looks over to Jiro, who seems to have a hard time digesting this kind of kindness and affection towards himself. It’s an odd mixture of embarrassment, flattery, and awkwardness that all looks adorable on Jiro.

And Jyushi’s the one that has the honor of saying that without boundary.

“Whatever you guys decide on, however… know that I’m the only one who can love Jiro in the way you three can’t.” Jyushi’s hands pulls on Jiro’s jacket and pulls him close, close enough for his lips to brush against Jiro’s lightly flushed cheek. “After all, I’ll be the one who takes him home at the end of the day.”

Jysuhi’s voice drops at that sentence and while a million and one different images run through the older musicians’ brains, they are more than aware of how white and innocent that relationship and intention is. Despite knowing that, however, they know how strong Jyushi’s hold on Jiro is. 

There’s no way he’s letting anyone try any moves on Jiro while he’s there.

… Which is fine with everyone else. Jun is more interested in keeping his twin Kou safe from perverts, Takeru was working too much to even think about dating, and Keisuke was going through another one of those harsh breakups that made him not wanna love again… but the romantic he was…

In other words, they had no interest in Jiro in the way Jyushi was. And it wouldn’t sit right with them when they know this is Jyushi’s first attempt at romance, and the only time he’s felt like someone else has loved and cherished him in a way everyone hopes for in their lifetime.

Add that first time experience to Jyushi’s harsh past, and they pretty much get the gist of Jyushi’s own outlook on this situation. So of course they wouldn’t do anything to take Jiro away from him.

After Jiro lets the embarrassment (but not the love, because the love was always accepted) leave his system, he looks to Jyushi. “It’s a little early, but should we go out for some dinner before coming back?”

Jyushi tugs on his bangs. “W-We don’t have to come back tonight, you know. We could always pick it up tomorrow, if you want to..”

Jiro shakes his head. “I need all the time I can get to practice this new line. I realized from Keisuke that I really was just thinking about the recordings, rather than whatever was on the page. As long as I listen to what’s on the page, I should be okay in theory. Oh, and I need to remember the one thing that keeps me going. So I want to check it all out… after a little break.”

“Maybe we should do individual practice for a bit, and have Jiro-tan and Kei-Kei practice a bit on their own so Jiro-tan can get a feel for their harmonized parts, yeah?” Takeru lifts his finger and Jun tries to not faceplant at their bassist’s occasional use of cute names. “Takeru… your grade school talk is coming out again… but you’re right. Jiro probably was listening to too many things, which might’ve led him to not being able to fully understand his own part.”

Keisuke crosses his arms. “Jiro’s already memorized most of the music for the most part. When we practiced earlier, it was pretty smooth sailing if you ask me. But if we do that enough so that Jiro can understand our sound and how it can meld in with the band’s sound… that might be a good idea.”

Jyushi takes all of the information and nods. “I-If everyone is alright with this then, I guess we will have evening practice after we have dinner.”

The three other members of Argo Kishii Gakudan turn to leave the practice room, chatting over how early they’re having their dinner break. When Jiro and Jyushi are alone, Jyushi hugs his boyfriend once more.

“...Are you sure you’re not angry at me Jiro? I’d understand if you were…”

Jiro rubs Jyushi’s back with such warmth and comfort tears threaten to spill from Jyushi’s eyes once more. “Don’t worry about it Jyushi. We got everything straightened out, didn’t we? It will take me a little while to get to where you want me though, so wait for me, will you?”

Jiro’s smile is bright, without a trace of anger in his expression. Jyushi can feel the warmth in that expression, and the love that pours from his entire being.

He can’t help but kiss the boyfriend who has changed his life for the better. “Of course I’ll wait for Jiro. Jiro has already exceeded any hopes and expectations for today already…. I’m looking forward to hearing your sound with our music later tonight.”

Jiro’s cap falls down as he chases Jyushi’s lips for another sweet kiss. “If you’re looking forward to it, then even more of a reason to work hard on it.”

Jyushi softly chuckles. They share a moment for themselves in the empty practice room before Amanda pops out.

“Jiro… Jyushi has a power bank right here. Don’t you need to send Yamada Ichiro and Saburo a message telling them you’re alive or something?”

The smile drops from Jiro’s face. “Oh shit!”

“Ah, yes… We were in the middle of practice when Jiro realized his phone was dead… I’m sorry for any inconveniences this caused, Ichiro-san.” Jyushi says. Jiro groans as he has to listen to Saburo’s scolding. Because it sounds more like a scolding right now.

“How many times has this happened, Baka Jiro?! Just how empty is that brain of yours huh? Ichi-nii was very worried when you didn’t respond to our good night messages! How is it that you went almost 16 hours without checking your phone once, huh?”

Jiro scratches the back of his head and sighs. “I was nervous, alright?! It was the first time I would be meeting Keisuke, Jun and Takeru… I also wanted to focus on the music Jyushi gave me so I would be prepared for practice. I barely even remembered about my phone when we left his apartment to go to the practice room. I guess… I forgot about telling you guys anything before going to practice.”

Jiro’s concentration gets sidetracked when he hears Jyushi laugh softly. “No, really. I’m at fault for not making sure Jiro’s phone was sufficiently charged. We’ve been so focused on rehearsal today all other modes of communication with other people just kinda… flew over our heads.”

Jiro hears Saburo’s annoying voice telling him to listen to him and Jiro focuses back in on the lecture. “At the very least, make sure to send us something once every day. Ichi-nii never wants to say it, but he’ll still worry about you. You’re his precious younger brother.”

“... And you’re still my precious Jiro-nii…” Saburo says it softly, almost like Jiro was never supposed to hear it. But he did. And somehow, his chest feels impossibly warm.

It wasn’t every day when he heard that Saburo didn’t hate him in one way or another. So it was precious. And plus, it gave Jiro a little insight on Saburo’s well guarded and sensitive side. It’s something Jiro will never take advantage of. 

“... Alright, I hear you Saburo. I’ll even ask Jyushi to remind me in case I forget. You’ll see the boringly fun life I have over here being stuck inside practice rooms all day long.”

An amused huff is his reply. “Whatever. See you at the live, dummy.”

Jiro closes his eyes and smiles. “Look forward to it, Saburo. Give Nii-chan a hug for me, will you?”

“No way! If I’m hugging Ichi-nii, it's for my own reasons.”

“Aha. Alright, guess I’ll just have to hug him when he comes down here.”

“Gh—-!!”

After Jiro laughs at his younger brother’s response, he ends the call. Soon after, Jyushi’s pulling his phone away to end his own call.

“So, did I worry Nii-chan?” Jiro asks. Jyushi nods slightly. “He figured you were okay, because he figured I would’ve called him if something happened to you. But it was still disturbing when you didn’t read their messages this morning. As long as you were safe and okay though, that’s all that matters to him.”

Jiro looks down at his charging battery with a sigh. “I feel like I should take a few more pages from your book, Jyushi. I never carry power banks around. And this really saved me today.”

“It’s because you don’t really use your phone all that much, isn’t that right?” Jiro nods. “There’s not much of a reason to use it, besides listening to music or calling or messaging friends or family. I guess it always goes to the back burner, even though this is the way I can communicate with you…” 

Jyushi places his hand on top of Jiro’s screen. “Don’t worry about it, Jiro. I’ll always carry one with me. It’s practically Amanda’s friend in the zipper pocket. We’ll just have to make sure your brothers know you’re actually alive.”

Jiro snorts at that remark, but it wasn’t incorrect either. His smile only widens when he sees Jyushi’s warm smile directed at him. 

But before they could do anything else, the members of Argo Kishii Gakudan wanted to make their presence known. “Jyuuushiii!! P D A dude!” Keisuke sing songs and it sobers the couple into remembering where they were.

… which was outside a burger joint. Since apparently, everyone wanted to eat a burger. Jiro was fine with burgers, but he was expecting like, cheap fast food kind burgers. Like the type of burgers that were in his budget kinda burgers.

The sign reading gourmet burgers really didn’t settle right with Jiro. Or his wallet on that matter. He kinda had the feeling the cash he brought with him would get blown on one (good) burger. But before he could say anything, he’s dragged inside by Takeru. “C’mon Jiro-tan!”

“W-Wait… this isn’t really in my budget…” Jiro manages to say as the doors are thrown open. Jyushi helplessly trails behind, not sure as to save Jiro by pulling him away from Takeru, or to use his stage persona to grab some sort of hold on the situation. Before he can do anything though, Keisuke wraps an arm around Jiro’s shoulders and grins. “That’s what us adults are for. We’ll settle your portion as well!”

Jyushi gathers his courage and manages to slide in next to Jiro, tearing Keisuke away from him. “N-No! I’ll handle Jiro’s bill! I’m his boyfriend!” The way he stands proud at the statement is enough for everyone to melt where they stand, even Jiro the boyfriend himself, but Jun takes advantage of the situation and slams the 10,000 yen bill with a grin. “Too bad. I paid for the entire bill.”

“Eh?!!” Takeru and Keisuke tackle their drummer and demand him to let them pay him back. Jiro can only blink at the scene right in front of the register for a long long time. He tries to ask Jyushi for some reasons why they’re fighting over him. Jyushi can only offer a shrug. “It’s just that they love Jiro. They’ve known about you since the moment you sent me off when we left Ikebukuro. From then, they’ve been aware of my relationship with you, and have gotten to know Jiro while I get to learn about him. From all that’s happened, I guess you could say they love you like a brother or something like that.”

“O-okay. But why gourmet burgers…?” Jiro didn’t understand that much. Cheap burgers were good too! Jyushi just shrugs. “When they started making their own money, they said they couldn’t be satisfied with fast food or convenience store bentos anymore. I’m still fine with the cheap stuff though. In fact, I kinda have a deeper connection to it, you know?”

“Heeeh? What kinda connection are you talking about?” Jiro asks when everyone turns to find a place to sit.

“I can’t exactly find the reason why I feel like that but… I think it has to do with the past.” Jyushi slides into the booth and Jiro takes the next available seat. Keisuke, Jun and Takeru fight amongst themselves to see who gets to sit in the uncomfortable middle. Jyushi unzips his bag and pulls Amanda. 

“Do you know why I like convenience store food so much, Amanda?”

Amanda shrugs. “It’s quick and easy to eat. The ambience of the convenience store at late hours is calming to the mind. Maybe Jyushi just found peace there when he couldn’t find it in his music. And maybe… knowing your boyfriend was more comfortable with cheaper meals, it further pushed you into liking those meals even more.”

Jyushi looks at Jiro and shrugs when their eyes meet. “I don’t know. Maybe that was the case… after knowing that high class meals don’t appeal to him, it helped me continue down the less expensive road.”

Jiro shrugs back and flashes his heart melting grin. “Well, whatever the reason might be, for me, food is food. I won’t waste an opportunity to have good food. It might not be what I’m familiar with, but I sure as hell am fine with trying it.”

Jyushi smiles back. “Of course, Jiro! You’re gonna enjoy a lot of the food we have over here, I just know it!”

Jiro nods at that exclamation. “I’m looking forward to it, then.”

After enjoying their burgers that Jiro admittedly confessed was the best burger he ever had, the five of them walk back to the practice building. Jiro was… calm. The break was good on his hands, and somehow, after Jyushi’s breakdown, things got further resolved. He was worried about making mistakes like normal, but he didn’t feel pressured into feeling like it was perfection or the bash zone. After what happened in his separate practice, he got a feel for what his part was supposed to be, and it would only get better from there. 

Jiro is gonna make sure that the next time Jyushi hears him play, it will be as perfect as he can possibly make it.

Takeru groans as they all pile into the practice room. “So, Kei-Kei is gonna kidnap Jiro-tan… what about me and Jun-Jun?!”

Keisuke picks up his guitar from the stand and sticks his tongue out childishly. “Well, Take-chan’s parts won’t exactly help Jiro with his harmonization practice. And Jun’s not gonna be much help either.”

Takeru puts his hands in the air. “I know that! But why did you have to rub it in our faces!!”

Jun pats Takeru’s shoulder. “Don’t worry much about it, Takeru. Jyushi will have something for us to work on anyways. Let's have Keisuke and Jiro work their parts out together, and then we can all play together with Jiro when they come back.”

Begrudgingly, Takeru nods. “I still want to have some time to play with Jiro-tan Kei-Kei! Don’t steal him for the rest of the evening!”

Keisuke waves him off. “I know, I know. C’mon Jiro.” Jiro picks up his messed up stacks of sheet music and his guitar before waving Jyushi off. “I’ll be back.”

Jyushi grasps the bottom of his sweater with a small smile. “I’ll wait for you right here.”

After the two guitar players leave their practice room, Jyushi takes Jun and Takeru to their couch. “So… I was thinking… we don’t practice the live lineup tonight.”

“Y-You what?” Takeru jumps. “Is there something wrong, Jyushi?”

Jyushi shakes his head. “There’s nothing wrong… It’s just after all that’s happened today, I think we should all give Jiro time to acclimate to our group. He’ll only be with us for one concert. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have a chance to bond and see how well we all play together, you know?”

Jun nods after a while. “So, you want Jiro to get comfortable with playing with us as a whole before we think about tackling our music for the concert. So, we’ll just take it easy tonight.”

Jyushi nods at Jun’s assessment. “W-Will that be okay, I wonder..?”

Takeru hugs Jyushi in an attempt to comfort him. “If that’s what Jyushi thinks, it's the best assessment there is. The reason we’re extending this practice in the first place is so then Jiro can get a feel for the music. But part of getting that feel for the music is whether or not he can get a feel with the band, isn’t that right?”

Jun silently nods alongside him. “We’ll be okay. Spending a few days not practicing the concert line up won’t affect us. We will still be playing music, just not the things we need to prepare for the live. As long as we continue playing something, it won’t affect us… I think.”

Jyushi nods. “O-Okay then. S-So I was wondering… if we could play Jiro’s song?”

“Eh? J-Jiro-tan has a song?”

Jyushi pulls out a bright red CD from his crossbody. “Jiro is part of a rap group, remember? Buster Bros!!! made it all the way to the finals a few months ago. Part of the campaign to advertise for these teams that made it to the finals inside Chuohku was the creation of their own albums and songs. I didn’t even know that he had this until I saw it inside the CD shop in Ikebukuro.”

Jun takes the CD from Jyushi and turns it around. “Have you listened to it, Jyushi?”

“Of course. I’ve listened to the CD in its entirety on repeat when I was coming home. It was my way of supporting Ichiro-san and Saburo-kun as well.”

“...So knowing Jyushi’s super smart brain, he has written parts for all of us to work on?” Takeru asks after looking at the title of Jiro’s song. “Heeeh, Sensen Fukoku, huh?”

Jyushi grabs the CD and puts it inside his CD player. The two get to listen to Jiro’s rap, and their instrumental parts for a few loops of the song and they sigh. “Man, that’s good. I wonder if Jiro-tan wrote that guitar line?” Takeru slumps against the couch after letting it all sink in a little longer.

Jyushi shrugs. “I didn’t ask him about it because I wanted to surprise him. Kei-kun was the one to suggest this idea to me, did you know?” After a moment of silence, Jun hums. “Well, I guess it's our job as Jyushi’s band to make his dreams come to fruition. And it probably will help our situation with getting Jiro comfortable with us. What do you say, Takeru?”

Takeru is already at his bass guitar with renewed energy. “I’m ready when you are, Jun-Jun!!”

Jiro stays with Keisuke for the better part of an hour and a half and the way they play the music just flows in a way. It feels much easier to play the chords, and the general shape of the music has changed. In short, Jiro feels much more comfortable playing the songs they were gonna play together today. 

They put their guitars down and sit down on the couch for a little while. The silence is somewhat comfortable, until Keisuke looks over to the younger teen. “So, Jiro. You… how should I phrase this… How is it like dating Jyushi?”

Jiro raises an eyebrow questioningly. “Is this supposed to be a deep kinda question or…?”

Keisuke shrugs. “I don’t know myself. I just wanna know… how it's been dating a guy like Jyushi. One that’s always desperately held on for the future, while getting beat up in the present. One that’s always had to hide his real self from strangers, lest he gets even more hurt. That kinda situation.”

Jiro hums as he thinks about it. But there’s no definite answer that comes to him. “It’s just… dating Jyushi. A guy like me who questioned whether romance was an option. A guy like me who had a rough past, but has walked away from it. We have our differences, sure. But we also have similarities. And it makes me understand him a little bit more than others I think. I don’t find anything wrong with Jyushi and his personas, if we call them that. While I had Nii-chan and Saburo around me, Jyushi only had Amanda… and even Amanda got hurt. So… I don’t know what to say…”

Scratching his head for a long time, a simple set of words come to him and he looks back at Keisuke with a defeated smile. “I just… love Jyushi.”

At that, Keisuke roughly plays with Jiro’s hair, the biggest smile on his face. “Thanks for that, Jiro. Thanks for loving my leader.”

Keisuke’s phone buzzes and he looks at the notification. “Ah, Takeru’s asking if you think you’re ready to go back to the practice room.”

And this time, Jiro really does feel ready.

With that said, the two pick up their guitars again and head to the Argo Kishii Gakudan practice room. When they open the doors, Jyushi turns to face Jiro. The two can’t help but smile at each other.

“Did Kei-kun help you a little, Jiro?”

“Keisuke really helped me out a lot, Jyushi.”

“That’s a relief. So, all of us prepared a little something for you so you could get a little more comfortable with us. Will you listen to it?” Jyushi folds his hands around the mic stand.

Jiro’s heart races at the statement. “Y-you didn’t have to do that, Jyushi. I would’ve gotten there eventually…”

Jyushi shakes his head, a small smile gracing his features. “I wanted to do this for Jiro. When I thought about helping you get comfortable with us I couldn’t help but want to do this. I’m not sure if this will even sound good, since we only worked on it while you and Kei-kun were practicing…. but listen to it for a little bit, will you?”

Keisuke gives Jiro a thumbs up sign as he takes his position alongside the rest of Argo Kishii Gakudan.

They all share a look and Jun gives them a four count countdown before his alarming start.

Jiro is almost thrown off his feet when he hears a familiar song. The key was adjusted slightly to fit the overall genre Argo Kishii Gakudan works with, but this instrumental was something he’d never forget.

And when Jyushi’s voice comes in, it’s even more shocking. He can rap as well as sing. The aura he exudes is just like how it feels when he’s on stage, and Jiro has watched enough fan cams on the internet to know what that aura feels like.

It’s kind of funny, Jyushi is rapping lines that were for him…. that was supposed to tell his story. But instead of feeling awkward or uncomfortable, Jiro feels proud . That his rap, his story was being told in the voice of his boyfriend and his band.

But Jiro couldn’t just sit still and let them play this song for him without him wanting to sing it as well. He couldn’t just watch them as they played his music, the music he spent an agonizing amount of time practicing because he wanted to use his skills in what was supposed to be his song .

But Jyushi seems to know him all too well. With a small smile, Jyushi outstretches his hand and ushers Jiro to come join. With the widest grin on his face, Jiro joins Jyushi at the mic and they sing the chorus together. Everyone smiles and sings at the top of their lungs as they play the strangely addicting melody of Sensen Fukoku. And when the guitar solo comes in, Jiro spins around and plays it in accordance to the key change. 

Jiro really treasures these few bars. He spent the better part of a week trying to find that rhythm that would be perfect for this section. He practiced so hard, his fingers bled and it made it very difficult to hold a pencil for note taking, or even chopsticks. 

Jiro isn’t proud of the fact Ichiro scolded him for injuring himself. But he is proud of the fact he came up with a rhythm he loved, and managed to have it in his song. When they had listened to the instrumental before recording, the staff members even seemed to like it. So that made this little segment even more precious.

Jyushi closes his eyes and when he opens them again, the sharp gaze of the powerful Visual Kei musician comes back into view, with a voice as smooth as velvet on skin dripping with charisma and love , Jiro can’t help but get pulled into that gravitational pull once more.

“Let’s get started war, 

懸けろ　誇りを”

Jiro’s eyes gleam as his blood gets pumping. His toothy grin is all Jyushi needs to know that Jiro is enjoying himself. He lets Jiro take the next line.

“Let's get started war,

燃やせ　魂を”

Jiro seems to pass the mic back to Jyushi, even though it continues to stand where it is in between them. Jyushi can’t not take up the opportunity to sing. Singing is his passion, and he’s able to finally sing with the love of his life. Everything about this moment was precious, and enjoyable, and… something that should just continue on forever.

“Let’s get started war, 

懸けろ　誇りを”

The intensity builds, and all of Argo Kishii Gakudan can’t help but get more than a little excited as they prepare for Jiro’s battle cry.

“Let’s get started war” Jiro looks back at everyone who only seems to pour more than their all into their respective parts.

Everyone screams the next line and it almost seems enlightening.

“LET’S GET STARTED WAR!!!!”

Everyone lets everything go and they just drown in the music they’re playing. It was one of the reasons why they really enjoyed music, after all. With smiles on their faces, and voices resonating in their soundproof room, Jiro has the feeling that their hearts all clicked for the first time. 

He really feels like he’s a member of Argo Kishii Gakudan. As temporary as it may be.

When they finally finish, everyone seems to collapse in one way or another. The members of Argo Kishii Gakudan have never spent this much energy on one song before, because they’ve gotten used to conserving their energy for long durations.

But it was exhilarating! Just letting yourself go to the music and feeling like nothing was holding you back was a feeling they’ve rarely experienced since they formed Argo Kishii Gakudan. 

Jyushi is conveniently reminded of the fact that this is what he wishes to do for his entire life. Such music, like Jiro’s song, deserves to be sung without restraint. And music in general should be shared to everyone in the world to listen to, so then everyone can experience the sensation that is drowning to the music and letting all your problems and worries go while music resonates in your soul.

“Your song… it really is amazing Jiro.” Jyushi gently wipes away the sweat from his forehead with a smile. “I kinda wish we sang it together sooner.”

Jiro catches his breath and points at his boyfriend. “I could say the same to you, Jyushi. Who knew you could rap! And you make it sound nice!”

Jyushi feels like now would be a perfect time to give an answer to that. But he also promised that he would explain everything when Kuko and Hitoya met Jiro, Ichiro, and Saburo together. So, Jyushi doesn’t think it would hurt if he just kept this fact hidden for a little longer.

“I only did it because I listened to Jiro’s song so many times. I practically had the entire song memorized by the time I came back home.” Jyushi feels a bright blush grace his cheeks at what he feels like will come out after.

“... and maybe I wanted to try and impress you on top of getting you more comfortable with us as a group…”

Takeru swoons at that small confession, and Jiro has to place his guitar on a stand so he can properly crush Jyushi in the tightest hug ever. “This is one hell of a gift Jyushi. Thank you for too many freaking things….”

“No, Jiro… thank you… for too many things…” Jyushi pulls Jiro closer and Keisuke grins. “Well, at the very least, I think Jyushi’s goal was met. Whaddya think, Jun?”

Jun nods as he has to pat down his hair to make it look somewhat presentable again. “Jiro’s closer to Jyushi. Meaning in this case he’s closer with us. We’re all like a bunch of strings, and now we’re being tied into a web slowly, but surely. Jiro will be much more comfortable with us as we continue to spend time together.”

Takeru jumps. “Well, if Jun-Jun says so, then I believe him!”

Jiro parts from the hug and looks at the rest of the Argo Kishii Gakudan members. “I… I don’t know what to say. I… thank you for playing my song. It isn’t much compared to all you guys do, but it is still technically my song. I spent a lot of time on this song, writing the rhymes and working with what the staff had already prepared beforehand. Even if it was for Chuohku to advertise all the division representatives, I still can’t help but cherish what this is, you know?”

Takeru puts his bass guitar down to pull Jiro into a hug. “Of course we know! We’ve heard a lot about Jiro’s life. All the hardships, and the obstacles you faced to even make it here to practice with us. Without them, you wouldn’t be Jiro… but there are things that you shouldn’t have had to deal with. We’re just glad that you still have the ability to smile, and make people around you smile in turn.”

“As expected of Takeru. You never expect him to say the most comforting things, until he does.” Keisuke remarks.

“That’s Takeru’s day job coming through.” Jun follows.

Jiro is stuck in an awkward position between the hug and looking back at Jyushi for some help.

“Takeru works at a daycare whenever he’s not practicing with us. Whenever we’re on crunch time for lives, everyone takes off from their day job to practice during the day. Besides that, most of our practices are held at night to accommodate their schedules.” Jyushi gently pries Takeru off of Jiro and Jyushi takes the opportunity to introduce everyone more in detail.

“A lot of Takeru’s cute talk comes out as a habit. When he started working at his current daycare he didn’t know how to get the children to approach him. So he kind of changed up his style in many ways. He now only reserves his “normal” look whenever we have lives. Any other time, because children could recognize him, he keeps this modest and cute style.”

“I’m looking forward to playing a bunch with Jiro-tan!” Takeru chirps and Jiro nods back. “Same here, Takeru.”

Takeru pouts. “Noooo! Call me Take-chan!”

Jyushi cuts the conversation there with a bitter expression that could only be described as an adorable pout in everyone’s eyes. Takeru easily backs off. “Yeah, okay. Keeping somewhat of a distance between me and your precious boyfriend, Jyushi.”

Jiro was conveniently unaware of what was happening, thinking back to all the times he thought Takeru acted strange, only to learn that his occupation was the reason why.

Jyushi directs Jiro to Jun, who casually waves from the drum set. “Jun has a twin brother Kou. They’re both proficient in a variety of instruments, but Jun has maintained the drums as his primary instrument for a while. The two of them live together, and made their apartment a music studio of sorts. They make music, and also hold music lessons whenever they’re not bogged down by deadlines.”

“I won’t have to be mean to Jiro, since he’s only interested in Jyushi. I’m happy about that.” Jun casually says and Jiro gets a strange shiver down his back.

“Oh yeah… I should mention Jun has a huge brother complex. Kou is apparently the cuter and more naive one of the two, and whenever they’re outside, men and women alike try to deceive him into following them to do “questionable deeds.” Thus… the defensive stance Jun has towards his brother.” Jyushi at least can understand that much now, since he has begun dating Jiro. Ichiro has always protected Jiro and Saburo, and they have been given at least three times the amount of love from Ichiro, to fill in the void left by their parents that have passed.

But while he was there, Jyushi didn’t really see anything that screamed brother complex… but maybe he was just able to see how much Ichiro loved his brothers. Meaning that the same applied to Jun.

“I think you and Jun would actually get along, Jiro.” Jyushi smiles at Jiro who might be thinking the same things he was, and the smile he receives in return kind of solidifies that thought.

“Yeah… I think so too.”

Jyushi directs his vision towards Keisuke…. who already has his measuring tape out? “Um… and lastly Kei-kun. He’s an intern at a small fashion label at the moment. But surprisingly, a couple of his designs have been praised by employees there. So, by that experience alone, it makes sense that he’s our fashion designer. He was the one that designed our jackets.”

Jiro blinks when it hits him, his jaw drops. “W-What the hell Keisuke?! Why didn’t you tell me that yourself!!”

Keisuke laughs heartily. “Well, I thought it would be boring if I just spilled the beans about my occupation and all that considering you didn’t even know anything about Takeru and Jun. I figured it could wait until later, and later is now. But now you know…” Takeru comes from behind Jiro to slide the guitar strap off of him and Jyushi can shake his head. “I’m sorry, Jiro… it looks like he has taken an interest to your measurements….”

An evil smile spreads on Keiuske’s face as he takes the measuring tape from his neck and slides it into his hands. Jiro feels really bad about it but Takeru shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it Jiro-tan! Kei-Kei did it to all of us when we got together for the first time. He seems to only do this kinda thing to people he’s interested in.”

“A-And that’s a good thing?” Jiro panics slightly. The way Keisuke looks doesn’t feel like the Keisuke that helped him out and played guitar with him.

“Yeah, it is.” Jun says simply. “Don’t worry about him. It should be done in a minute or so.”

Jyushi would’ve preferred to hold Jiro’s hand to provide support, but Keisuke simply slaps his hand away. Jiro is measured in all forms, and Keisuke hums as his numbers practically match up. “Okay. I was pretty much right then.”

Keisuke steps back and Jiro finds peace once more. “What was that for?”

Keisuke shares a look with Jyushi before his eyebrows wiggle suggestively. “I’m afraid I’ll have to keep that a secret for a few more days.”

Jyushi comes back into Jiro’s view with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it Jiro. Knowing Kei-kun, it will be something good.”

A cute grumble is Jiro’s reply. Jun and Takeru almost react to the cute reaction. Jyushi instead just runs his hands through Jiro’s hair affectionately and relishes in the way Jiro is appreciative of the touch, even if he looks a little frustrated. 

“Soooo… now that the introductions are out of the way, and it’s still fairly early…” Takeru reaches for his guitar and Jiro’s and passes Jiro’s to him. The moment Jiro accepts the guitar Takeru’s smile widens. “How about we play some more?”

Jiro nods. “Okay! But what will we play…?”

“Anything! We haven’t just jammed for the fun of it in like, forever!” Takeru plays a multitude of notes and Jyushi affectionately chuckles. ‘What is that, Takeru?”

“I don’t know! Maybe something I picked up from another song I was listening to?”

But even then, somehow Jun picks up a beat from Takeru’s madness and builds up on that.

“Whatever it is, you’re making this pretty catchy.” Keisuke plays a rhythm next to Takeru’s bass line and it shocks Jiro just how easily these people can just come  together and make some sort of music their own. But there’s something in the way they all seem to connect that makes the phenomenon that much greater.

Jiro doesn’t know if there’s a place for him in such a well balanced team like that.

Before Jiro can ponder on it any longer though, Jyushi is dragging him by the hand and pulling him closer to the circle. They all play small melodies in accordance to Takeru’s melody for a little while before Jyushi jumps. “Come on Jiro! Play a melody as well!”

“Eh?! Like, right now?!” Jiro tries to search his brain for melodies he’s been interested in playing, and it all comes back blank.

Well… all for one melody.

Sticking his tongue out, Jiro tries to think about earlier today, when he was thinking about how to play the melody. It was addicting to listen to, and Jiro got attracted to it, even if it made him lose his balance on the dance mat.

Jiro slides through the chords to the best of his ability and everyone practically laughs at Jiro’s choice.

“Don’t tell me the DDR machine converted you too, Jiro-tan!” Takeru laughs as he places his base line underneath Jiro’s main melody.

“Well, why does the DDR machine have this song on there in the first place! The Project Diva Arcade machine is literally next to it!” Keisuke snaps back, but there’s no denying the smile that breaks through his features.

“Jyushi and I were on a roll until this song came on the shuffle okay?! And there’s this one song Nii-chan had sung with another dude that used the original melody to this song. Guess I kinda have a slight connection to this song!” Jiro continues playing his few bar repeat and Jun provides a steady beat with the drums to keep Jiro from speeding up.

“Say Jyushi. Do you know the original lyrics to Ievan Polka anyways?” Jun asks. Jyushi shakes his head but he smiles regardless. “I got Hatsune Miku’s version down perfectly though!” To prove his point, he waits for Jiro’s repeat to come up, and for Keisuke to come and play the repeat as well before he sings absolute nonsense.

It’s nothing like how Dark Prince Aimono Jyushi of Argo Kishii Gakudan would sing. But the way his eyes glimmer under the light and the way his smile brightens as he sings is enough for everyone to know he’s enjoying himself.

“What the hell Jyushi! That was gibberish!!” Jiro laughs. Jyushi can’t help but laugh alongside him and everyone eventually has to stop playing because they’re laughing too much.

“B-B-But it’s true! Hatsune Miku is singing gibberish! It’s official! It’s nothing like the actual lyrics, but her gibberish is the easier thing to memorize!”

By time everyone catches their breath and the stitches in their sides subside, Jiro takes another deep breath and feels a huge weight be lifted from his shoulders. 

“Say, can we all take a picture together?” Takeru jumps. “Ooh! Picture time!!”

Everyone agrees and Jiro takes a few group shots before sending a random one to Ichiro and Saburo in their group chat, now that his phone was sufficiently charged.

“Really enjoying myself here with Jyushi’s band! Can’t wait to hear more in the next few days!”

When he sends the photo, he realizes it's already closing in on 10pm. 

“Man, I feel like we haven’t had this much fun practicing in forever!” Takeru exclaims. 

“It really was enjoyable. And I think it was something we all needed, to relieve the stress and get Jiro more used to playing with us.” Jun follows. 

“It wasn’t for long, but it was still worth something. What does Jiro feel?” Keisuke looks over to Jiro, who can’t help but feel the smile widen on his face. “I think… we’ll all be able to play together. I thought somehow earlier there was this wall separating me and you guys, but since we played Sensen Fukoku and other random songs together, I no longer feel that doubt and worry.”

Jiro looks over to Jyushi and laces their fingers together. “I think I’ll be able to make Jyushi happy with what I can play. It might not be absolutely perfect, or how Jyushi may hope or expect from me. But I’ll be able to do everything that I can, and know that one day… one day I might be able to live up to Jyushi’s expectations for me.”

Jyushi’s lip trembles. “Oh Jiro…. don’t say that. I’m already thankful that you’re still even here with me. With us. I may seem like I hold an immense amount of expectations from everyone here… but most of all, I want everyone to enjoy themselves. Music should be enjoyed, not hated. As long as I haven’t tarnished Jiro’s love for music, that’s all I need.”

“Naaaah, I still love music. I don’t think I won’t ever hate music.”

Keisuke gets to his feet and grins. “He said it. Don’t worry about a thing Jyushi. I think you’ll love your boyfriend even more when you get to hear how much better he’s gotten in this one day of practice.”

“Ooh, if Kei-Kei is saying that, then it’s gotta be good, right?” Takeru jumps. Jun nods in agreement. “I’m looking forward to it then.”

Jiro waves them off. “Don’t get your hopes up for anything guys. It’s not all that great, I tell you.”

“Yeah, no. Jiro’s lying through his teeth!” Keisuke counters.

The two banter for a little while before Jyushi stands up. “Well, regardless of whatever has been said, I think we’re all in agreement that it can be picked up tomorrow. I think we did a lot of good things today, considering it was Jiro’s first day… so, is everyone in agreement that we’re done for today?”

Everyone nods. “Okay then… I guess we’ll see each other tomorrow then.” Jyushi announces the conclusion of their rehearsal and the three elders leave, waving goodbye to Jiro and Jyushi with their bags and instruments.

Jyushi closes up their practice room once they have all their things packed. Amanda pops out of Jyushi’s bag and sings Nausa de Zuiqu. 

“A-Amanda! How did you know?!” Jiro is dumbfounded as Amanda continues to sing. 

“The internet has anything if you know how to find it!! I may be a stuffed animal, but I still have my ways.”

Jyushi listens to the song on the tab Amanda managed to maneuver through with the help of the stylus pen in his bag and sings along to the chorus. “It’s so catchy!”

“Isn’t it?!” Jiro grabs on to Jyushi’s hand and they rush through the night scenery, singing Nausa de Zuiqu on their way back to Jyushi’s home.

Amanda lets themself stay out to enjoy the sight of Jiro and Jyushi enjoying themselves and each other’s company.

By the time they make it back to Jyushi’s apartment, they’ve dispelled their obsession of Nausa de Zuiqu and Ievan Polka for the most part. But what hasn’t been dispelled is the worry Jyushi has over his Mr. Perfect persona that lashed out at Jiro.

Jiro wraps Jyushi in a hug. “You’re worried about what you’ve said earlier.”

“Of course I am worried, Jiro. I hurt you!” Jyushi slumps and lets his forehead rest on Jiro’s shoulder while his hands shake and grasp onto Jiro’s jacket. “I wanted you to enjoy yourself here… but my mind immediately switched to a normal last minute grind scenario and… I ended up hurting you…”

Jiro strokes Jyushi’s head as gently as he can. “I’m okay. I ended up using my time apart from you and the rest of the band to hear my own sound. And with hearing that I got a clear vision of how my sound is supposed to fit with everyone else’s. Working with such a well balanced band is difficult. I just didn’t want to destroy what balance was already there, and the pressure to fit in, while not getting ahead of myself, pressured me into messing up and other shit. After all the fun stuff we did though, I don’t feel like I’m a foreign entity in the practice room anymore.”

“So you’re okay? You’re not gonna just… leave again without telling me, right?” Jyushi looks like he’s seconds away from crying his eyes out again. Jiro shakes his head with a warm smile. “I’ll be okay. I think we’ll all be okay. Whatever happens from now on, as long as we both understand the situation, we’ll be able to work things out.”

Tears silently well in Jyushi’s eye, but the way he leans in for a kiss is warming and comforting, like the burdens weighing him down went away. “I’ll trust Jiro then.” 

Jiro lets his smile widen a little more as he returns Jyushi’s kiss with another one of his own. “We’ll definitely be okay from tomorrow on.” 

After a few comforting minutes of hugs and kisses, Jyushi can let go of Jiro and ushers him to take a bath before him. Jiro doesn’t think he should leave Jyushi, when he looks like he is still unsure about a lot of things, but he will listen to Jyushi.

Amanda heard everything anyways, and their way with words was much better than Jiro.

When Jyushi strokes Amanda, Amanda tells Jyushi the things he needed to hear. “I think Jyushi doesn’t need to worry about anything. Argo Kishii Gakudan is a talented and popular group. And on top of that, Jiro’s skills are much better than he may have let on. So you don’t have to worry about Argo Kishii Gakudan’s contract getting dissolved if this live isn’t a success. Not like it wouldn’t be one, but I think that’s what you need to keep in mind.”

“I know that Amanda… but I don’t know why I get so worried… and have that part of me come out….”

“I think Jyushi isn’t having enough fun. I think that is the problem.” Amanda is proud of that statement. Especially when Jyushi doesn't seem to understand why something like that is important.

“Remember how it felt like when everyone was messing around and playing random things?”

Jyushi nods.

“Holding lives should feel like that, Jyushi. Everyone should have fun, from the artists to the people listening. You always enjoyed music because of how it made you feel like everything was okay. If you’re always worried about the future, it will surely reflect in your music. But in the present, the Jyushi I know cherishes music and treats it like a close friend. I think it’s about time for Jyushi to relish in the present and unlock another facet to his music!”

Jyushi looks questioningly at his best friend. “What do you mean, Amanda?”

Amanda shrugs. “Even I don’t know what I’m talking about. But I feel like if you remember that fun and loving feeling you have for music, rather than the stress and worry of what might happen in the future, you’ll enjoy the music that you create that much more, and fall in love with it even more. And I think a Jyushi who is in love with music is a beautiful man.”

Jyushi softly chuckles. “What about Jiro then?”

Amanda shakes their head. “Isn’t it obvious? Your love for Jiro goes hand in hand with your love for music! Wasn’t it something you realized yourself, at least in the music making scheme of things?”

“Of course! Jiro became my muse, so it was easier to write the type of music I was already writing.”

“That’s exactly why a Jyushi who is in love with both music and Jiro is beautiful! Drown in your love for both of these things, and then force the worries out of your system! And as Jyushi’s support, both Jiro and I are there for you! As long as you keep all of this in mind, I think you’ll be okay. Mr. Perfect won’t come out. Nobody gets hurt. Isn’t that a good outcome?”

Jyushi ponders about this for a long, long moment. “Well…” He ends up cradling Amanda and envelops them in a close hug. “As long as Amanda and Jiro are there with me to remind me of that… maybe I won’t worry about the future.”

Amanda is satisfied with that answer. They know how it is in Jyushi’s nature to worry about the littlest things. Their perfectionist nature is good and bad in situations of all kinds, but it is due to said perfectionist nature that Jyushi is able to make wonderful things happen.

Like his music… and his rapping.

“So don’t worry about Jiro not liking Kuko-san and Hitoya-san… I think once everyone has some time to get used to each other’s presence, things will work out for the better.”

Jyushi chuckles softly. “As expected of Amanda. You saw through today and was able to grasp the true thing I was worried about.”

“Of course I should! I’m your guardian of love and happiness!”

The two laugh fondly when Jiro comes out of the bath. “What was I missing?”

Jyushi outstretches his arms to pull Jiro down in front of him. Amanda jumps off of Jyushi’slap to land on Jiro’s. “Amanda was just doing Amanda things. Helping me see the truth of what may have blocked me.” His hands work efficiently to towel dry Jiro’s hair.

“Oh yeah? So, are things resolved then?” Jiro leans back to look up at Jyushi.

That smile, albeit small, is free of all worries. Jiro is more than aware of how carefree Jyushi seems now. That’s good. A Jyushi who isn’t worrying about things is surely a much better Jyushi.

“...Yeah. I think it is resolved.”

Jiro reaches up to let his fingers get tangled in Jyushi’s long layered hair. The mere pressure behind his head makes Jyushi lean down a little more, until their eyes are locked on to each other’s.

“I’m glad.”

Their kiss is soft and gentle, like all the other ones they have shared throughout the course of their relationship. But today, right this moment, seems like another milestone has been reached. What it might be, one might ask. 

They don’t know. They just feel like their hearts have joined as one, and this sensation is… enlightening. 

Jyushi pouts softly when he pulls away from the kiss. “Geez. You already took a shower, and I still have my makeup on!”

A devilish grin spreads on Jiro’s face at that statement. “So, are you saying that if I take off your makeup, I can kiss you some more?”

A cute groan escapes Jyushi’s lips. “That wasn’t what I was getting at, Jiro.”

“I know. But I’ll never pass up an opportunity to kiss my wonderful boyfriend, regardless of if I have to remove some makeup to get it done.”

Jyushi is about to say something back when Amanda puts a stop to the whole thing. “You should probably give up, Jyushi… Jiro can be really stubborn…”

Jiro gives a wink and a cheesy smile. “Amanda knows me very well.”

Jyushi feels another load seem to come off his shoulders at the sight of his carefree boyfriend. Somehow, having a playful banter like this was enough to get Jyushi to drown those worries a little more. Another small smile tugs at his lips. “I… okay. I will let you kiss me again if you let me take off my makeup.”

Jyushi fully expects Jiro to move out of the way to let him reach the bathroom.

But instead, Jiro is taking him there by the hand, the towel over his hair falling down to the floor on the way there.

Amanda can only watch the hallway and hear the happy laughter that comes from the two, considering they had fallen down as Jiro pulled Jyushi towards the bathroom. As they try to get back on the couch, they can hear Jiro ask Jyushi if he’s really okay, if he’s resolved whatever was plaguing him. Jyushi’s confident hum was his reply, and Amanda can tell he’s not lying.

At the very least right now, Jyushi isn’t worried about anything at the moment. They guess they can thank Jiro’s presence for that. His steady presence in Jyushi’s life as of late has been enough for him to learn to not handle his burdens by himself.

Amanda knows that they can’t do much with their small, stuffed body. But instead of lamenting what can’t be changed, they are thankful they at the very least were able to find Jiro. 

Because tonight, and in the future nights until their live is over, Jyushi might be worried about what may be the future of Argo Kishii Gakudan. And Jiro can do things Amanda physically cannot, like hug Jyushi while providing comforting words.

Amanda isn’t sad that they can’t do those things though. Not in the slightest. 

Jyushi is happy, and is learning to live a life that’s more than just him and Amanda in their small little world. And Amanda is more than fine with that outcome, if it means having Jiro and the Yamada brothers and Kuko and Hitoya supporting Jyushi.

But sometimes… sometimes, Amanda wonders how it would be like to be a human. If they were human… they’d be able to do all sorts of things with Jyushi. But before they can think about such possibilities even more, they kill those curious thoughts. 

They’re more than thankful for the gift to maneuver around as it is. Any more would be asking too much of the gods.

And well, now that Jyushi has returned from the bathroom to pull Amanda into a hug… Amanda doesn’t need any more than what they have right now. It’s like Jyushi can read them as well as they can with him. 

“I love you Amanda…”

Jiro pulls both Amanda and Jyushi in a hug. If Amanda had a heart, it would certainly feel very warm. “I never thought I’d say this to a pig, but I do love you too, Amanda.”

Amanda feels almost overcome with emotion, they feel like they could cry. “You’re trying to make a stuffed animal cry, aren’t you?”

Before Jyushi can worry about that statement, Amanda leans into the group hug with their eternally stitched smile truly expressing their feelings right now.

“I love you too, Jyushi and Jiro.”

Those warm, comforting words kept their hearts warm as they prepared to end their evenings in preparation for practice the next day. Jiro affectionately plays with Amanda while Jyushi takes his shower. They talk about everything and nothing at all, just things that seem like they’re worth chatting about, which seemed like it was enough for the both of them. Jyushi looks fondly as his boyfriend and his closest friend get even closer as he fusses with his hair and skin care routine. 

Jiro continues to press comforting kisses to Jyushi’s lips until the moment they fall asleep. The darkness of the night paled in comparison to the bright vibrancy of the red string that tangled between Jiro and Jyushi as they slept holding each other close. Amanda noticed that this seemed even brighter than it was in the morning, which might be because of all the things that happened today. 

The brighter the string, the more devoted they are to each other. Amanda thinks that this is the outcome for their red string. Instead of thinking about the other possibilities of it, however, Amanda finds peace in thinking it's a physical representation of their love for each other.

With all Amanda observed today from Jyushi’s bag, they want to say that this much is true. And as Jyushi’s guardian, they are thankful that Jiro has been the successful choice for Jyushi without fail.

So, how will both their love and the preparation for the Argo Kishii Gakudan live turn out?

Amanda cannot wait for their practice to resume tomorrow.

But for now, they think they’re satisfied with seeing the dim light illuminate the numerous stars in the ceiling. 

“It truly is a beautiful night, isn’t it?”